


Staring and staring and staring

by ConnorProject2K17



Series: Dickhard Danganronpa [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: 2020, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Daiyas alive, Graphic depiction of boners, M/M, Masturbation, Mondo is so gay, also ishimarus a little bitch because i said so, also maybe smut because mondo is a horny boy, fantasising, he can be the moral compass and still be petty, just look at ishi how can he not be?, let him be happy, let ishimaru be a bit of a cunt, so is takas mother, someone help him, too gay, we got smut y’all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:48:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 32,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22649674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConnorProject2K17/pseuds/ConnorProject2K17
Summary: Mondo keeps finding himself staring at Ishimaru. It takes him faster than he’d like to realise he’s got a crush. On the spiteful, rule following hall monitor of all people.I've finally edited this so it should me longer and less inconsistent.
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo
Series: Dickhard Danganronpa [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774765
Comments: 156
Kudos: 729





	1. Aaaahhhhhhh: Gay

Ishimaru is sharp. That was the first thing Mondo thought when they first met. Sharp edges and sharp lines. With spiky hair that isn’t cut short enough to not spring up around his angular face. And a wide mouth that smiles too wide when he isn’t paying attention, showing all of his chipped crooked teeth and making him squint. Sparking red eyes like graves that are always open, he stared without meaning too and it made him look insane. Everything does.

He was sharp and stiff and Mondo gets scared he’s getting sucked in. Scared that when he does he’ll never find a way out again. Scared that he won't want to.

Mondo was getting yelled at again. He’s in front of his locker, only half paying attention as Ishimaru hissed and spat about attitude and attendance and whatever. Mondo’s busy checking his hair in the tiny mirror the locker provides.

There was a little bitter voice that always appeared when Ishimaru’s around. ‘Perfect hair perfect uniform perfect voice perfect manners perfect perfect perfect’

Mondo ached to find a chip in Ishimaru’s design. A flaw or weakness to make him feel less shitty about himself. Something to bring the hyped up hall monitor down to a human's level, and he doubted he was the only one who’d like to bring him down a peg.

‘Perfectperfectperfect’

He’s missing a tooth.

Mondo almost missed it, but he caught a glimpse of the hall monitor's wide mouth and saw a gap.

His teeth are shit, he realised.

They were yellowing, clearly being brushed regularly, but without whitening that many of their peers could afford. Mondo wondered about his diet. Maybe he was sneaking in junk food while battering on at the others about healthy meals. Three were crooked. One was chipped. His canine was missing, leaving an awkward gap. His tongue sometimes licked at it when he paused for breath. The gums were red raw. The Moral Compass could take all the time in the world to brush and spit and swallow but Mondo recognised skipped dentists visits anywhere. He hadn’t been in five years.

“Oowada- _Oowada!_ ”

He’d been caught staring.

‘Perfectperfect perfect perfect teeth broken battered teeth perfect perfectperfect’

Mondo couldn’t find an answer that wouldn't humiliate them both, so he just slammed his locker door, making them both flinch, and stormed away, Ishimaru still hopping mad behind him.

He finally found a crack in the reflection. It didn’t make him feel any better.

The second time Mondo found himself staring, they’re in Algebra. Mondo’s good at algebra, he found comfort in near straight directions and clear end goals. Plus he couldn’t spell for shit.

Ishimaru was sitting next to him, chair scooched forward with a back like a ruler. Mondo wanted to break it over his knee. He also wanted to run his fingers down the spine. He tried not to focus on either urge too hard.

Ishimaru was writing fervently, pen straining under the pressure. Mondo snuck a look and saw the familiar manic stare in his eyes. It’s addicting. Slightly empowering. Mondo looked away.

He finished his work five minutes ago, too awkward to admit he enjoyed himself. He told anyone who’ll listen that he just wanted to get it over with. He kind of wanted the teacher to give him more to do. Is that how Ishimaru felt all the time? It was exhausting.

Speaking of, he was still writing. It’s no secret that the hall monitor is terrible at Maths. Another creak in the mirror that Mondo doesn’t think about.

He needed equations to be explained to him at least three times and took up all of the teacher's attention by having her double and triple check his work. There's always a groan around the room whenever he put his hand up.

He’s left handed which means his right hand was resting by Mondo. Who’s bored and wasn’t catching Leon’s eye to talk to him. So he looked absentmindedly at the hand.

Maybe ‘resting’ is the wrong word. It’s clenched into a fist, trimmed nails digging into the skin leaving angry half moon marks.

The hall monitor's skin is so pale. Too pale. Mondo had heard his peers mockingly call him a demon or a vampire. He thought he’s more like a geisha.

Even without flexing Mondo could clearly see blue and purple veins swimming in front of him and it made him feel dizzy. His fingers were long and thin and the bones strain, about to burst. His hand’s so frail it’s disconcerting. He’s not delicate by any means, Mondo was sure he could throw an average sized person over his head. But he wouldn’t be surprised if Ishimaru’s bones were hollow, like a little bird. Or maybe a big bird. A falcon maybe.

That’s what Ishimaru was: a falcon. Keen eyes and 20/20 vision, but taken down far too easily.

There were scars littering his dusty pink knuckles. Whether from throwing or receiving punches Mondo wasn’t sure. No one in their class would ever go after their hall monitor like that. No one said it but they’re glad he’s there.

There were bumps down his skinny fingers from where he’d squeezed his pen too tight, and ink blots on his palm. They were the only stains on his spotless uniform. It made a warmth appear in Mondo’s chest like he’d swallowed a rock and he looked away.

“Excellent work Mondo! I’ll go find another worksheet for you to finish. Can you please try to help Ishimaru?”

Ishimaru glared at him like he chose to be good at algebra just to spite him. He didn’t say anything though because Mondo knew he got a kick out of ‘working hard’ and ‘putting in the effort’ and that would kind of ruin his motto.

“Don’t rub out question three again, you got it right the first time.” Mondo whispered, too quiet to even hear himself. Fortunately Ishimaru had a knack for hearing what shouldn’t be heard-Mondo's been busted enough times for talking in class to know that-and bristled. He looked back at question three-scribbled out so many times the paper’s starting to rip-and took a peek at Mondo’s paper. He’s right, of course. Ishimaru snarled and excused himself to use the bathroom.

Mondo caught himself thinking about those thin pale hands.

<https://www.instagram.com/p/CAXxiGHAbZP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link>


	2. Be warned: boners ahoy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember when i told you Mondo was a horny boi? Well it’s more than that. The absolute arousal leaking from this chapter if god awful and i want you to mentally prepare yourself. I was uncomfortable writing it, you will be uncomfortable reading it, he was uncomfortable doing it.

The third time was far less subtle. Mondo’s sitting outside the nurses office, cradling a wounded jaw. He’d kicked up a fuss about not wanting to change his hairstyle for gym and some third year-Fuyu, something-got sick of it and socked him in the face. Little puppet looking bitch. What kinda creep wears a three piece suit to class anyway?

So Mondo was missing out on gym: his favourite subject. They were all pretty shitty in his opinion but at least he could ‘accidentally’ hit Byakyua in the face with a dodgeball.

The door opened, and someone in just their socks stepped in. Mondo didn’t bother looking up, too busy sulking to himself.

“Do you know where Ms. Aikawa went?” Ishimaru asked, and Mondo groaned inwardly. He wasn’t in the mood for any more scolding than he had already gotten, and he glared hatefully at the floor.

“She went to restock the, um, sanitary towels, you’ll have to wait.”

Ishimaru snorted derisively.

“You can say ‘tampons’ you know, it won't kill you.”

Mondo shifted, pressing the wet tissue closer to his face.

“Don’t you have any sisters or a mother? There’s nothing to be ashamed of! Aren’t there any women in that little gang of yours?”

Normally Mondo would’ve thrown a fit at the phrase ‘little gang’ but he was too busy trying to phase himself through the floor.

“Women are delicate. Can’t handle bikes, we’ve gotta protect ‘em.”

He could practically hear Ishimaru’s sneer.

“Hm. Another one of your brothers pearls of wisdom i suppose? Try telling Sakura that.” The bastard was laughing at him. Mondo bit the inner side of his cheek to keep from hurling insults.

“Why are you here anyway? Skipping?”

Ishimaru stood up straighter-Mondo didn’t know that was possible-and bristled.

“My boots are not suitable for gym class and I came to borrow some trainers from the lost and found.”

“What, you don’t have any other shoes?”

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. With the bad teeth and ten of the same outfit Mondo knew poverty when he saw it.

“What happened to your face?”

Ah. He’d noticed. Mondo just grunted.

He looked up.

And all the blood drained from his face.

Ishimaru was in the school gym uniform. A white t-shirt that clung to his frame showing off his honestly killer arms. Mondo had sworn he once saw Ishimaru pick up a boy twice his size to drag him to detention, and now he knew it was true.

Ishimaru threw his hands around as he spoke-his words only barely scraping the surface of Mondo’s mind-and the shirt rode up slightly showing, oh jesus were those abs? Fucking christ on a shit stick Mondo was doomed.

He looked down to see _ shortshortshort _ shorts that were almost painted onto creamy muscular legs. Mondo wanted to run his tongue down them.

Ishimaru was in just his socks. There was something very cute about that.

“-and just because someone older than you tells you to do something doesn’t mean you should do it. I know the old saying ‘blood is thicker than water’ but i bet you didn’t know the whole saying was ‘the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb’. It means- _ would you look at me when i’m talking to you?!” _

Mondo’s eyes snapped up to his face, which was contorted into an ugly sneer.

No. Not ugly. Gorgeous. Heroic. Brave. Like a statue of a greek god about to go into battle. Mondo wanted to kiss the crease between his eyebrows and make that frown go away. Wanted to slip his tongue between his lips and have Ishimaru yell his name as loud as he could. Wanted to-

Oh fuck he was hard.

Without looking Mondo could feel his dick straining against his pants, twitching and leaking as Ishimaru stood there, just two feet away in what was basically lingerie with his hands on biteable hips.

Thank god for baggy pants.

Ishimaru’s frown melted away, along with Mondo’s composure.

“Are you alright Oowada? You look flushed.”

Red sweating face as black hair clung to his forehead crying out in pleasure-

“Should we call the nurse back?”

Nurses outfit, mini skirt, tiny hat, high heels attached to long thick legs holy fuck keep it together-

Ishimaru took a step closer, hand reached out to touch Mondo’s forehead, worry implanted across his face. Something struck Mondo’s mind and he snapped out of whatever weird lust hallucinations were chaining him down. If Ishimaru touched him he knew he could cum right there and then. He leapt up, stuffing his hand in his coat pocket and cradling it in front of his crotch like a cape.

“YESFINEGETLOSTGOAWAYILLGOTOGYMNOWBYE!!”

He ran from the room like it was the gates of hell, and to the closest bathroom.

Well, he could never go to gym class again.

After that Mondo started... noticing Ishimaru more often. Before it was just once or twice but now it was all the time. He answered a question in class, Mondo noticed how impressively loud his voice was. It rang in his ears like an organ in church. He imagined that voice screaming his name, voice breaking in pleasure. Ishimaru marched down the halls looking for trouble makers, Mondo drooled over those tall leather boots, picturing them stomping down on his back. He smiled at a joke or laughed, Mondo spent the rest of the day remembering his handsome, paper white face. Heart pitter pattering in his throat from heat.

Then the sauna happened.

Mondo wasn’t sure what he was thinking: he wanted to rile the hall monitor up, make him yell and scream and shout in anger. See him become heated and passionate, knowing his attention was all for Mondo and nobody else. That was becoming a common pastime for him, and thankfully Leon and his friends just thought he was trying to start trouble.

But he said something, did something, started something that led to Ishimaru and him in the sauna.

Together.

Naked.

All of Mondo’s dreams and nightmares were finally coming true.

He had the sense to keep his clothes on and his little...  _ problem _ was hidden away, but Ishimaru wasn’t making it easy. He was so tense, straining his muscles against the heat, sweat plastered to his skin, eyes and smile straining as wide as they could go. He looked insane. It made Mondo’s heart race.

When did he get such weird tastes? He was supposed to like short curvy girls with tits as large as their heads. Not a strange little soldier who looked like a serial murderer.

But oh if that crazy out-of-fucks-to-give expression didn’t make Mondo just choke at the dangerous aura spiking from him.

Ishimaru’s smile gave him the same wind-swept feeling as a high speed chase on his motorcycle.

Mondo knew he liked guys. But why did he have to like this guy?

He’d had fleeting fancies before: the cashier at the local bakery. An actor off the telly. One of Daiya’s old friends.

Not someone his own age who he had to deal with day in day out. This was going to kill him.

Ishimaru shifted slightly, eye twitching. Mondo’s stomach swooped.

“Why do you hate me?” The hall monitor said, looking straight ahead.

“Huh?”

“I thought i was doing so well here. No one’s even beaten me up, not once. So why you?”

People had beaten him up before? Mondo’s hand clenched into a fist.

“I-I dunno man. It’s fun to watch you get so angry. You’re like a little jack-in-the-box.” Cool. Calm. Collected. The exact answer a gang leader would give, he was doing just fine.

Ishimaru frowned. His eyes were wet.

“Well it’s not fun for me. My talent-the reason I’m at this school is making sure the students at this school are on their best behaviour, and I can't waste time chasing after you.”

Oof. Something tightened in Mondo’s chest and he curled in on himself.

“I’m... sorry man. I didn’t think about that. But i’ve got a reputation here and you’re kind of making it hard.”

Hard to pretend I'm straight. Hard to act like your sad expression isn’t killing me. Hard to not take you right here in this sauna.

Damnit Mondo, stop projecting and just talk to him!

“Why do you lead such a...” Ishimaru paused, searching for the right word “...dangerous gang. They won’t do you any favours, and you’ll have to leave them at some point, and then what?”

Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the guilt. Maybe it was the slow realisation that his attraction wasn’t just lust anymore, but actual daring affection. But Mondo decided to tell the truth. He sucked in a breath and pretended the sauna was getting to him.

“My brother started it when i was little. After we were taken away from home. He found these other boys like us and started a gang to show the police-the social services-the neighbours, everyone who didn’t help us before what they had done. And it kind of escalated from there.”

They sat in silence for a while. Guilt made way for regret, and Mondo almost made a move to leave before Ishimaru spoke up.

“... you were taken away?”

“Shitty dad.” That was all he needed to hear. That was all Mondo was willing to say. Ishimaru hummed.

“I won’t hold any grudges against you for that. I can’t say i haven’t thought about it myself.”

Mondo straightened, hand gripping his jacket.

“Y-you’ve got bad parents?”

“No!” The hall monitor looked at him, scandalised. “Sorry I just-i love my parents. So much.”

“So what’s the problem?”

Ishimaru cringed to himself, and sat back.

“The people around us.”

And so he told Mondo about his grandfather, his neighbours who shouted insults at him as he walked by. His classmates who beat him up on his way home. The adults who turned a blind eye.

“We live in a flat above a, um, club and both my parents work all night long and sleep during the day. They try their best to spend time with me, but rent’s hard enough as it is and I’d feel better if they were making money instead of wasting it on me. But, I just feel so alone. They’re the only people who ever stick up for me; they love me. They know about all the bullying, and they get it too. I just want them to tell me ‘What you’re going through isn’t okay. You aren’t the problem, everyone else is.’ I just feel so selfish though.

“They get it way worse than me, my father is a cop and he gets beaten up by gangs all the time, I guess that’s why I was so angry at you before. And because you threw Makoto across the hall. Ha ha ha.”

Mondo’s fist was shaking.

“I’m so sorry you had to live with that for-for seventeen years.”

Ishimaru gave him a sad smile.

“It just feels like the entire weight of my family falls on my shoulders. If I don’t get every single thing perfect i’ll have proved everyone right.”

Mondo reached out and grabbed his hand. It was damp.

“Ishimaru, listen to me. You are-“

Perfect. Handsome. Wonderful. Sexy. The smartest person i’ve ever met and i would follow your orders in a dog collar and leash if you asked.

“-incredible. You are the most intelligent person in our year-hell, maybe even the whole school, and I have no doubt you could crush those losers back home under your ridiculous boots.”

Crush me under your-not the time Mondo.

Ishimaru sniffled, wiping his face with a sad smile.

“Thank you Oowada.”

“Call me Mondo.”

“Then you must call me Kiyotaka!”

Mondo’s dick throbbed. So did his heart. If he called him ‘Kiyotaka’ out loud he would humiliate himself in public.

“Nah man we’re brothers! Kyoudais! Call me that, bro!”

Ishi-Kiyotaka burst into tears.

“Bros?”

“Y-yeah bro. Why are you crying, did I do something?”

“No i’ve just-i’ve never had a bro before!”

Oh what a sad little boy. Mondo wanted to hide him in his jacket and never let him go. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind in a box to never be opened.

“Er, yeah bro. Just... don’t tell anyone about my brother and the gang thing? Kinda ruins my rep.”

Kiyotaka cried harder.

“Of course not! Man’s honour! I will never break the trust you have given me!”

Oh Mondo was doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mondo really be like: Putnam County Spelling Bee (song 12)


	3. Daiya’s alive!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I kept a years worth of fanfic ideas in the notes app, and then deleted the whole thing. I went to the ‘recently deleted’ part and accidently deleted it again. Im a moron...  
> So if anyone knows how to get it back, i’d be much appreciated! Otherwise the next three chapters might take a little longer given i’ll have to rewrite them all... Shame. That’s when the plot really gets going!

Now they were friends, brothers even, Mondo had all the time in the world to stare. In class, in the gym, in assembly, in sleepovers. Yes, they had sleepovers and yes, they were awesome. Taka just wore his undershirt and briefs and Mondo couldn’t be happier. And more nervous than a chicken in a fox den, but mostly happy. 

One night he’d woken up in the middle of the night and saw his little buddy snuggled up next to him. His arms latched onto Mondo’s bicep, legs tangled together; Taka’s crotch to Mondo’s hip. 

Taka’s hair was flat against his pillow and smeared over his face like a fringe. His face was so serene, the calmest Mondo had ever seen him. His eyebrows finally relaxed, mouth in the smallest of smiles, nose wrinkling adorably. He was so… awake during the day; dramatic and angry. He always looked angry, even when he was delighted. He was so angelic now, like he was Gabriel in a stained glass window. 

Light came through the curtains and he was illuminated by the moon. He reminded Mondo of the moon, in some way; pale and ghostly, with crevices from injuries all over his wonderful body. His skin was cracked and dry, but it seemed as if he could melt through the mattress like cream. 

Sweat had seeped through his shirt leaving it clinging to his chest. Briefs hiked up as he’d wriggled around in his sleep, showing glorious thighs with thick muscles.

Mondo slept in the bathtub that night.

He got to introduce Taka to all this new stuff he’d never even used before; like television and the internet. The Ishimaru’s didn’t even own a phone so technology was all pretty new to him. He never said anything but the rest of the class knew better than to bring it up. Taka was poor, bordering on poverty, and everyone was eager to show him new things.

Sayaka showed him music. He had a radio at home and mostly liked classical, but he appreciated the effort that went into her music videos. Mondo sometimes caught him humming her songs, which was adorable.

“So what do you think Taka? Aren’t my girls adorable?”

“Y-yes Maizono, they’re exceptionally talented! I can’t imagine the amount of effort that goes into dancing like that, and in those outfits as well! Aren’t they uncomfortable?”

“Oh, um, I suppose. But the song-”

“And the lights and staging! It reminds me of a musical I saw once! Out of my hometown of course otherwise we wouldn’t be let in! Ha ha ha!”

“Umm, sure… hey why don’t I show you some of Ibuki’s stuff?”

Leon tried begrudgingly to show him sports, but neither of them were especially invested. Taka’s anxiety was too high and he had to leave the room when the competition got too nerve wracking. Plus he hated the idea of gambling. That excluded Celeste, Aoi and Sakura from showing him their talents. None of them told him of course or he’d be heartbroken that his own paranoia was stopping him from being invested in his peers interests. 

That didn’t stop Celeste from trying to rope him into card games every chance she got. Mondo had to physically lift his best friend and remove him before he accidently lost his school medal in a game of checkers.

Of course Aoi and him went running every Saturday morning and she let him in on all the school gossip (otherwise he’d be at least three months behind on what everyone else was doing), and afterwards Sakura and he experimented with new tea recipes. Overall he was very happy with where he was at.

Mondo couldn’t be there for either occasion; there wasn’t a chance in hell he was getting up any earlier than eleven am on a weekend, and by the time he was up and able to go to teatime, Taka wouldn’t have changed out of his gym clothes. Mondo had thought he could handle it; seeing a guy throw a hissy fit because he lost a match of tennis probably would’ve dampened his interest in anyone else. 

But Taka had been given some hand-me-down trainers from the headmaster (who was constantly trying to give Kiyotaka free things. He knew he wasn’t accepting the schools money for personal use, and was instead sending it home. Kirigiri had said they were meant for Kyoko but she didn’t fit them, so he might as well give them away. Taka had cried.)

Mondo had shown up for one teatime, still in his pyjamas and only half awake. He’d wandered in, sat down, and only then noticed Taka in his new shoes. They showed off his calves and ankles beautifully, making his legs seem thick and strong. Mondo had never seen him in anything other footwear than his sexy sexy boots and the shock had him sprinting back to his dorm.

Maybe he had a fetish? An Ishimaru-specific fetish.

Yamada, bless him, tried his hardest to get him invested in fanfiction but Taka just turned his nose up at it. “Isn’t it insulting to try and ‘improve’ a story's ending? If you don’t like the story why would you put in the effort to write about it?” He wasn’t trying to be rude but Taka really had to improve his social skills. Mondo made him go and visit the ultimate Otaku to apologise.

Taka didn’t… understand social cues. At all. And it wasn’t his fault, his thoughts just moved so fast he was three steps ahead of where he should be. So what seemed like a simple observation to him was a crippling insult to someone else.

Then there was that he just took everything so damn literally. Mondo learned that the hard way when they were trying to make noodles and tea at the same time. Taka had the saucepan heated up and tea ready. 

“Okay the kettle’s boiling?”

“Yep! Tea’s finished though.”

“Cool. Now pour it in the saucepan.”

“... really? Are you sure?”

“It’s what it says on the back of the packet.”

“Okay then.”

Taka had poured the tea into the saucepan with the noodles. Mondo had yelled in surprise and shoved the hall monitor of the way to check on his now ruined lunch. He’d turned to ask Taka what the hell he had been thinking, only to find his friend hunched over crying.

“W-what the fuck? Why are you-are you okay?!”

“I’m sorry, i’m so sorry oh Mondo I don’t understand, why are you upset?”

“I-i’m not that upset man! C’mon, stand up straight, there you go. What were you doing?”

“Y-you said to-you said, i’m so sorry, please hit me I deserve it just get it over with, oh Mondo-”

Mondo had held him as he sobbed, promising that not now, not ever would he ever hurt him. His heart hurt so bad for his friend.They only separated when the smoke alarm went off.

Toko thrust one of her romance books into his hands and left huffily. Taka gabbled excitedly at the prospect of indulging his peers talent and greedily started reading in front of him;

“She’s the Ultimate Author, that means the best from all over the world Mondo!”

“Er, yeah but-”

“Let’s see… hm, err… hey Kyuodai?”

“Yeah buddy?”

“What’s a, how do you pronounce this… ‘exhibitonist’?”

“...Google it.”

Taka went off to the library and came back several hours later, awkwardly answering that he had ‘obtained lots of new research’ when asked by Makoto who saw his pink ears and neck. 

Mondo hadn’t thought about it again-shoving that to the back of his mind in a clutter of Never To Be Opened boxes. Until that night during their next Bros Night when he saw the corner of that same book peeking out from Taka’s pillow. But his dick was sore from having wacked one out to his friend just that same morning so he shoved the offending item back under Taka’s bed and never said anything.

Finally Makoto and Chihiro were easily the most useful, setting up a laptop in Taka’s room and showing him different tv shows.

He didn’t like cartoons because he thought they were too violent. Plus everyone threw a fit when they found out he’d never seen Disney growing up, and tried to set up a movie marathon. But Taka admitted the magic just wasn’t the same without the nostalgia, and seeing everyone excitement just made him feel inadequate.

He sat through eight films suffering in silence before they got to Beauty and The Beast and he became very vocal in his outrage about the obvious kidnapping, abuse and gaslighting being displayed as romantic. Then everyone was too distracted trying to seperate Toko and Taka in a screaming match about ‘true romance’.

He didn’t like action films because they broke too many laws. And the extreme violence made him uncomfortable.

He didn’t like romance because the characters usually cheated or betrayed each other. Which was a real shame because snuggled up against his friend under a blanket, watching two characters feverishly make out while music swelled was really Mondo’s version of a perfect evening.

But finally, finally Makoto found something Taka enjoyed. Though maybe ‘enjoyed’ was the wrong word.

“Why would Ashido even consider apologising to Taiga after the way she spoke to her at Shiro’s charity gala?! And Uraraka tried to steal Victor when she visited Reira’s brother Hizashi at their last dinner party, and now they’re just going to ignore it all ‘cause she’s got a fashion show coming up? The nerve!”

“If you don’t like it we can change the channel-“

“No! I have to watch the next episode to see of Jin’s makeout with Shouto was just a one time thing or not!”

Turns out he liked reality tv. Shocker. Mondo spent many an evening trying to memorise vocabulary words while Taka sat back and watched hours of The Real Housewives of Tokyo, ranting at the screen. It was both adorable and kind of a turn on. Plus, and he had to thank Makoto for picking up on this, Taka really needed to relax more. His schedule was still packed to the brim with activities, so even if they took two hours a week to do homework and watch garbage tv, Mondo would be happy.

And though he would never admit it, Mondo knew Taka lost his mind with want at all the egregious displays of wealth. Sometimes Taka would just pause an episode to stare at a character's emerald necklace or their swimming pool the size of a football field. When he was Prime Minister Mondo knew he would be frugal with his wealth; often ranting about world leaders' gross displays of power through money, but he deserved the world and all the luxuries it had to offer as far as Mondo was concerned.

But he had to talk to someone about this, cause he couldn’t take another night of Taka pressing up against him, getting all hot and bothered because Momo spilled hot tea down Tomie’s diamond encrusted dress. Yeah, he kept up with the storyline, so what?

But he had to find someone...


	4. Daiya’s alive because fuck you. I write fluff not tragedies.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This title goes out to vegatass because they gave me the idea from 8 bit patd

“Daiya...” Mondo peered around the doorway, “...I fucked up...”

Daiya’s hand gripped the kettle he was holding to make instant ramen. His brother hadn’t been in any trouble in almost five months now, and Daiya was so proud of him but God help Mondo if he managed to throw all that progress away.

“What did you do?”

“Do you remember Officer Ishimaru?”

Yeah Daiya remembered him. Last Parents evening he’d been staring at the Owada brothers like he was sick. He looked like he’d never slept, hunched over in exhaustion cradling a takeaway cup of coffee. What a creep.

“What did you do?”

Mondo’s face disappeared briefly as he hid, before he carefully stepped into the room.

Michi and Satou were playing cards at the breakfast table, wisely staying quiet. Their eyes swivelling between the two brothers like a tennis match.

“Did-did you know he had a son?”

Oh yeah, that skinny pale faced boy that had been next to him. The teachers praised him all night and at one point he’d started crying so loud Ishimaru Senior had to take him outside. Little psycho. A zombie and a vampire, the pair of them.

_ “What did you do?!” _

“Well...”

Michi put down his cards and turned to face his best friend, expression grave.

“We’ve gotten out of a lot of scraps together Mon-chan but i don’t think we can come back from this if you killed a police officer's kid.”

Mondo made a disgusted look, and gripped his jacket like a high class woman would clutch at her pearls.

“I didn’t kill him! I’d never hurt Taka!”

Everyone froze. Michi twisted his chair to get a better look at his friends, face slowly creeping into a smile.

“‘Taka’?”

Mondo’s words finally caught up to him and he grimaced.

“I-well-“

“We haven’t heard about any new friends at this school.” Satou added, finally joining the conversation sensing neutral ground.

Daiya grinned at his brother.

“I-I DIDN’T-“

“And such a close nickname,” he slung an arm around Mondo’s shoulders, tugging sharply. Mondo stumbled over the weight, face burning.

“Why didn’t you tell us about ‘Taka?’”

Mondo opened his mouth but no words came out.

“Sounds like Strawberry Mon-Mon’s got a cruuush~” Satou sang, placing his legs over Michi’s.

Ah yes, that age-old nickname, only brought out to weaken Mondo’s defences.

“DON’T CALL ME THAT SHIT!! AND DONT TALK ABOUT TAKA LIKE THAT!!”

“He yells when he’s nervous.”

“NO I FUCKING DONT!!”

A grin was shared across the room, over Mondo’s head.

“We’d like to meet him.”

“YOU WON'T MEET SHIT!”

“Touchy.”

Daiya finally let Mondo go and was met with the full force of his brother's scowl. He waved it off.

“Oh please. I’m assuming he’s the one that’s made you shape up your act recently, I can’t not meet a child genius.”

Mondo shifted awkwardly.

“He hates that word. Being called a genius.”

Michi gave him a confused look, Satou’s head now resting in his lap. Disgustingly cute together, the pair of them. Daiya should have seen this coming if Mondo called the three of them together; Satou didn’t have a lot of say in the gang, usually riding towards the back. He would’ve happily crowed the whole of the Diamonds if it was a girl he was after.

“Why?”

“He’s got this complex about people born with talents not working to their full potential and needing to work his hardest to achieve greatness. And he works really hard; he never did anything but study before I met him, and well he still kind of does, but now we’ve got sleepovers and study sessions, and we do homework together, and he gets so close to me...”

Michi and Satou were nodding solemnly, the woes of crushing on another boy not news to them. Daiya was a strange circus of thrilled, confused and angry. His brother was still a baby; he couldn’t be getting crushes!

Although that ‘baby’ did stomp on a sexual assaulter's head once.

“...and he cuts his hair really precisely and he only owns ten sets of the same outfit with these huge sexy-er, cool boots and he yells all the time and he tells me what to do, which is awesome and-“

“Okay!” Daiya clapped his hands together before Mondo’s tangent could get any more personal than he could handle.

“Invite him over!”

“NO!”

“Why not?” Michi was now braiding Satou’s pompadour. Revolting.

“Be-because we live so far away from the school. He’s staying behind to study for next year's exams and the whole reason I came home for Spring Break was to get away from everything. I just want to ride my bike and not have to worry about anything. Got it?” Mondo stammered, face burning under his warm tan. Daiya looked down at his brother’s jacket-still his pride and joy-and noticed a small gold patch just next to the bust.

It was a small pattern of thread-new, not one Daiya himself had sewn on-in the shape of several letters spelling out ‘KYOUDAI’.

Oh, this was more serious than Mondo knew how to handle.

Daiya’s shoulders slumped. The perks of being an older brother was that he got to embarrass Mondo in front of his crushes, but so far he’d not been needed for that. But his brother wanted a break, and he really did miss him.

“Alright then. We gather some of the guys and ride out tomorrow, okay? For now you’re telling me everything I missed from your fancy-shmancy new school Mr. Prep.”

“There’s a gambler, a detective and a serial killer in my class and they’re all girls.”

“...why didn’t you open with that?!”


	5. I wrote this fic for the sole purpose of this story line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is intentionally written to be funny yet gross. If at any point you find yourself getting disgusted please know it only gets worse as it goes on.

After sharing a cold cup of noodles and sharing stories-Mondo explaining that yes Mukuro was technically a child soldier but it was considered rude to talk about it-Daiya finally called round ten of the Crazy Diamonds and they all rode off into the night.

It was everything Mondo had been waiting for: eighteen hours of just riding his motorcycle surrounded by his lifelong crew, the wind in his face and the Spring night in his hair. Stopping only for bathroom breaks, fuel and cigarettes. 

But eighteen hours is a long time to listen to nothing but your own mind, and it’s hard to pay attention to the road when your mind’s filled with thoughts of only ‘Sitting at a bar surrounded by your gang, Taka sitting on your lap. His hands are gently placed over your chest, bony fingers with bitten nails over your nipple rings because you’ve always wanted those and it’s your fantasy so you can have them. But you can feel him caressing your pecs. You saw him staring at them when you got changed for swim class last week (at least you think you saw him staring he could have been looking behind you, someone had drawn a penis on the wall in sharpie and there was a sexy poster of girls in bikinis, that makes sense why would he look at you you pathetic piece of-)

ahem

your own hands cup his waist and slowly lower themselves onto his hips. He slumps forward-is he drunk? It would make sense in your fantasy but Taka would never drink. Let’s just say he’s lost his balance-and his face is smushed against your tanktop. His chewed, wet lips ghost a breathe over your nipples. In the awkward fall your grasp drops from his hips to his (gorgeous perfect wonderful biteable) ass. He mewls. The guys around you laugh.

Wait do you want the gang to be there while this happens? Your dick say yes, apparently.

Okay so the gangs there and now Taka’s grinding himself into your leg harder and harder, pressing himself into so hard you’re practically one being. He’s whispering into your ear (also pierced, which looks very cool in your fantasy) about just how hard he’s going to rail you tonight, he’s gonna climb on top of you while you’re tied to his dorm bed and ride you into heaven-you thought he mewled earlier, is he a dom or a sub now? Fuck it, he’s into it and thats whats important-and oh god the gangs looking at you and the bartenders looking at you and everyones looking at you as Taka brings himself closer to orgasm using you like a pillow to hump and this was the worst possible time to discover a new kink-‘

Mondo was near ready to pass out from the blood rushing between his heart and his groin when Daiya eventually made the signal that they were stopping.

Mondo carefully positioned his coat over his crotch to hide his sudden ‘realisation’. Yuri gave him a funny look as he rides past. Mondo flipped him off.

Daiya lead them all to a small town on the outskirts of the city and Mondo carefully looked around as they found a place to park.

It was... simple. Ordinary. Cheap, but casual. The pavement lined in gob, glass and sick. Blocks of flats shielded them as they drove, with a cafe, tube station, nightclub, primary school, and church. It wasn’t quaint but it wasn’t dangerous. The kind of place you’d see a Chinese restaurant on one side, and a dead body on the other. They passed three on-fire trashcans.

“Why’d we stop?” Satou called out as they chained their bikes to a wall.

“Found a place to get Mondo’s mind off his... situation.”

There was a round of laughter throughout the gang and Mondo flushed. Daiya hadn’t said anything to them-no matter how accepting they might have been about Michi and Satou’s relationship he wasn’t about to out his younger brother. But Daiya started the gang and if he made a joke they laughed, regardless of whether they got it or not.

“Just follow me.” And he wandered off. The Crazy Diamond’s glanced around at each other before trudging after their former leader, with Mondo bringing up the rear. After ten minutes of silence Daiya finally stopped in front of a building.

The words ‘Magic Carpet’ stared down at them in neon lights.

Ten hollers of excitement made Mondo jump out of his surprise and he shoved his way to the front.

“Why the hell did you bring us here?!” He snapped, face burning. Sure he was a horny bastard but he also had a watchful upbringing. The closest to a strip club he’d ever got to was staring through the window of a pilates club. Daiya chuckled at him and slapped his shoulder a little too hard to be playful.

“Because if I have to hear about how your kyoudai looks in his pyjamas one more time i’m gonna make Satou steal him away.” 

An empty and ridiculous threat, but Mondo cringed.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Do you wanna see tits or not Mon-chan?”

Mondo huffed and flicked the collar of his jacket up to hide his burning face and followed his brother inside.

It could have passed for a holiday inn bingo centre, with a single disco light show in the corner and a ‘dance floor’ made of three bowling alley rugs pushed together. About eleven tables were scattered around the room, with used tissues littering the floor. Mondo cringed.

The heavy music was turned down as they walked in. Understandable, fourteen gang members wandering into a strip club probably didn’t create the safest atmosphere. Everyone turned to look at them and Mondo considered just turning and driving away. One look at Michi showed he wasn’t the only one.

“Err...” a waitress in a cheap store bought maids outfit awkwardly made her way over, “What can i get you boys?”

“A booth please sweetheart.” Daiya crooned, running a hand through his pompadour. She didn’t look seduced. In fact she looked like she was gonna keel over from exhaustion. There was an unidentifiable glob of food in her hair and bags under her eyes. Her name tag read ‘Magic Garden’.

“Follow me.” 

She took them to a large sofa near the stage. Not a booth, a sofa. Stringfellows this was not.

The music started up again as they took their seats-Mondo recognised it as Baby Metal, this place really didn’t have a theme did it?-and the woman on stage resumed her ‘dance’. She tottered about on thin heels in a gold bikini and Mondo wished he could sink into the floor.

“Give it up for ‘Boner Garage’!” A voice through crackly speaker yelled out. Polite applause rippled across the room except for the rest of the Diamonds, who cheered like they hadn’t seen a woman in weeks.

Mondo knew for a fact five of them had girlfriends.

’Had’ being the most ultimate word.

“Now then sit back and relax and enjoy ‘Meat Flaps’!”

Were stripper names copyrighted or did they just put words in a hat and pick whichever two went together? These sounded like the worlds grossest racehorses, not women.

Another woman, probably in her forties, stumbled across the stage. She had a beehive hairstyle and a tan like a mahogany tree. Around her ankle was a house arrest bracelet. 

She shook her admittedly nice chest in some guys face and he stuffed a ¥1,000 down her knickers without looking up from his phone. Mondo spared a look at Michi, who looked just as mortified as he did. Well it was nice to know someone else was uncomfortable, even if that someone was a gay man who wouldn’t touch a boob if you paid him. 

The other Diamonds hollered and waved notes around and ‘Meat Flaps’ excitedly hurried over, running a hand down her stomach as they threw money at her. 

Giving one last grateful wink, she wandered off stage. More muted claps followed her. 

Mondo leaned back in his seat, covering his eyes with his arm and reached out for his drink. Daiya had left during the last performance to order for them and he’d finally returned, sinking beside his brother.

“So what’d you think?”

“You couldn’t hurl up some more cash for a nicer club? Maybe a place where the girls aren’t seconds from retirement?” He grumbled and took a sip through the curly straw. Orange juice.

“What the fuck, why didn’t you get me beer or something?” 

Magic Garden passed by their ‘booth’ and Mondo almost apologised for being disruptive. She just sighed and sniffed her suspiciously powdery nose. He’d probably do the same if he was in her position. Daiya gave him his patented Disappointed Big Brother stare.

“Because you’re not of age, and as your guardian I have to make sure you aren’t put in dangerous situations.”

“Wh-I-you-!” Mondo gestured wildly to their surroundings. A glob of probably jizz dripped from the table onto his boot. He was seconds from imploding when the speaker started up again.

“And now... the woman you’ve all been waiting for... she puts the prime in prime minister... the fun in funeral... the tempt in attempted murder... it’s Sugar Lips!”

Immediately the men around them jumped to attention, leaning so forward in their seats they were nearly sliding off-although that may have been the gunk on their pants-and started thumping the table.

“SU!GAR!LIPS! SU!GAR!LIPS!”

They were all drunk so their rhythm was off but the message was clear. Daiya and Mondo shared a confused look.

With little to no fanfare a woman strutted out from the left and onto the stage. Everyone went wild.

Mondo could sort of see why. She was pretty average: 5’6, C cup, shoulder length hair. A black corset clung to her skinny body like it had been painted on and she almost floated across the stage with red platform heels on his chicken-thin legs.

Mondo sighed and knocked back his orange juice. Well this was probably going to be the highlight of this evening he might as well try to enjoy it.

Then the night turned.

The moment she took more than two steps out, the mood shifted. Someone yelled something incoherent and everyone around them followed.

“SLUT!”

“WHORE!”

“BITCH!”

“WISH DADDY COULD SEE YOU NOW, EH?”

“FUCKING TRAITOR!!”

The Crazy Diamonds looked around in bewilderment as the audience jeered. The three waitresses in the room just slunk off the the side lines watching the stage with unhidden satisfaction. 

Sugar Lips didn’t react. Clearly this wasn’t her first rodeo. Someone threw a can of beer at her head and she smoothly ducked. A coaster, a shoe and a pint glass followed. 

“This is ridiculous,” Michi hissed over the noise, none of his peers doing anything, all too shocked to move. He sighed, and waved at the stripper who was narrowly avoiding a concussion via bowl of peanuts.

“C’mere! Sit with us!”

Sugar Lipss looked him up and down, before slinking down the stage steps and walk-running over to the Diamonds table. The men around them groaned in disappointment and went back to their phones.

Sugar Lips awkwardly shuffled onto the sofa next to Michi, squished between the rest of the gang. She grinned, showing yellowing gap teeth.

“Yer not from around ‘ere, are ya?” She asked, placing a hand on Michi’s shoulder. He slapped it off.

“I’m gay.”

“Oh fank god.”

She immediately melted into her seat, placing an arm over her eyes. Mondo shuffled closer to her, shoulders bumping Michi’s. This was a really small sofa.

“No, we’re not from around here. We live in Tokyo, we’re just passing through. And we called you over to protect you from... whatever that was.” He explained, offering her the rest of his orange juice. She chugged it in seconds and wiped her forehead.

“Thanks babes. And that is what i call ‘9pm to 1am’.” She sneered. Mondo’s gut clenched.

“That... happens often?”

“Ev’ry night. You’ve got another ten minutes wiv me before i ‘ave to go back up there, so does anyone want a lap dance?”

At the end of the sofa, Yuri hesitantly raised his hand. Sugar Lips slapped her thighs with a sigh and went over to him.

There was something... off about her, Mondo realised. Other than the obvious of being a stripper who nearly got her head bashed in every other night. He watched her carefully, cautious not to stare too obviously as she grinded over his gang members hard on.

He was going to strangle Daiya when all this was over.

She was skinny, too skinny to be healthy, and her corset dug into her creamy white skin. She must have been late twenties-early thirties, but with heavy makeup not hiding the bags under her eyes. Cellulite, veins and stretch marks crawled across her body up to her shoulders where unbrushed spiky black hair rested. Two streaks of white framed her face and Mondo couldn’t tell whether they were natural or dyed. They made her rose red eyes pop.

Wait a fucking second...

“Kiyotaka?” 

The word slipped from his mouth, barely heard over the blaring music-K¥SHA now playing around them-and Michi, Satou and Daiya all groaned in annoyance.

“Seriously man? We brought you here to forget about your little boy toy.” Michi complained, leaning away from Sugar Lips as she almost elbowed him mid-ass jiggle.

Sugar Lips froze. She turned to look at Mondo.

“How do you know my son?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The town the Diamonds visit is actually based off where i grew up-Leytonstone! Except for the Magic Carpet i made that up.   
> Also its a popular headcanon that Takas mum is dead. But the boys in debt, lonely and probably autistic, hasnt he suffered enough? (Its ok im autistic i can joke about that)  
> He defo says ‘parents’ plural in the game, and we dont know what he saw in his motive video, AND we know his dads alive. I say that his mum was who he saw in his video and she is alive!


	6. Mrs Ishimaru: kind of a bitch but at this point who can blame her?

Sugar Lips-stop calling her that oh my god what the fuck-freezes, hovering stiffly over Yuri’s erection. Mondo’s sure he’s spilling his drink on the floor. The music around them is blaring and making his head hurt, and somehow everything seems louder.

“What?!” 

“I-you-you know Kiyotaka?!”

“YOURE HIS MOTHER?!”

“Yeah?! And?!”

“BUT YOURE A-A-“

A clap sounds from behind, and Mondo turns to see a man in an oily suit staring down at them. He’s looking at Sug-Mrs Ishimaru (???) with a squinted smile.

“Sorry boys but Sugar Lips is our most popular dancer here. You cant hog her all to yourselves, you understand?” He smiled, and his cheeks hollow out. Mondo’s skin is crawling and it feels like his brain is made of firecrackers.

Daiya steps in to save the day.

“Of course sir. We were actually hoping to buy a room with her for, say, half and hour?”

The man squints further, and not-so-subtly eyes Daiya’s crisp white jacket.

“The needs of a few... young men cannot be favoured over the needs of the many.”

“We’ll pay double.”

“Do you use cash or credit?”

So here they are. Mondo’s sitting in a back room (which is almost definitely a cabinet but his mind’s too fried to think), with just Daiya and Mrs Ishimaru. Shes got her legs up on the small table between them and is sipping delicately at a cocktail Daiya brought with them. No one’s said anything yet.

“Well,” Daiya slaps his thighs, looking from Ishimaru to Mondo like a tennis commentator, “this is exciting isnt it?”

“You ‘aven’t answered m’question.” Ishimaru says, chewing at her straw.

“How do y’know Kiyotaka?”

“Well i only first heard of him yesterday,” Daiya butt in, noticing his brothers apparent brain tumor.

“Hm. And what did he tell you?”

Daiya spared a glance at Mondo. Telling this random woman about Mondo’s crush on her son may freeze any chances of Mondo and Taka ever getting together. He didn’t know Taka’s opinion on homosexuality, but this was clearly a tough town, and those rarely paired well with LGBT culture.

“They... go to school together. They’re best friends, in fact. Hasn’t Taka ever mentioned him to you?”

Mrs Ishimaru raised an eyebrow, and runs a finger over her glass. It’s smeared with lipstick.

“We don’t have a phone at home. Takaaki mentioned Hopes Peak having a public service phone that you can use for free, but i work during the night and sleep in the day, and i don’t want to disrupt his sleeps cycle.”

Well that did make sense, Mondo vaguely mused. Taka sometimes mentioned his parents pride in him, and their expectations, so it added up that they’d take his schedule as seriously as he did. Mondo clenched his jaw, certain that anything he said now would anger Mrs Ishimaru. She didn’t seem to like him very much.

“Hm. Anyway, how do I know you’re really friends with him?”

“Sorry?” Daiya asked, confused. Ishimaru put down the glass a little more forcefully than necessary.

“You think i’m stupid? You think i don’t know you found me on purpose? And that you wont go back to that school and tell everyone ‘ooh Kiyotaka’s mum’s a slut!’. Give me a break. And leave my son alone!”

And picking up the heels that she took off, Ishimaru made to move out of the room. Mondo immediately stood up after her.

“Wait!”

“What?!”

“I love your son! I’d never hurt him!”

Oh shit. 

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

Fuck.

Poop.

Mondo’s mouth snapped shut. Fuck. Panic bloomed in his chest and he sat back down again, clutching his jacket. He could take this woman down in a heartbeat and drive out of town before anyone called the cops of them, but oh god that wouldn’t sit well with Taka. What if Taka was homophobic too? Oh god what if Mondo accidentally killed Taka’s mum? Oh fuck.

Ishimaru swept past him and sat down again. Mondo blinked at her.

“Hm?”

“I believe you.”

“Hm?!”

Reaching back behind her Ishimaru took out a cigarette and lit it. Daiya started.

“Hey is that mi-“

“You’re not bad kid.” Ishimaru blanked Daiya completely and took a puff.

“It’s not likely a bully would pretend to be gay for his victim. Especially to that boys mum, even for a cheap trick.”

Mondo exhaled, and choked on the thick smoke from the cigarette. And the anxiety tripping over his intestines. This womans mood swings were as intense as her sons and it made his head spin.

“Plus please note that I would walk into Hopes Peak directly and kill you where you stood if you ever laid a hand on my Kiyotaka.”

Somehow, Mondo believed her.

At the sound of his friends name, Mondo kicked it into high gear, and his mouth started moving.

“Why are you here? Does Taka knows you’re here? He’s never mentioned you. Well he’s said ‘parents’ as in plural, but i’ve only ever seen his dad. Why are you a stripper? Does he know youre a stripper? Are you married to Mr Ishimaru?”

With a loud slurp Mrs Ishimaru finished her cocktail and smacked her lips. Ignoring Mondo completely, she pulled out a cracked hand mirror from... somewhere and checked her lipstick. Once she’s satisfied she turned back to the Owada brothers.

“I didn’t register any of that. So i’m just gonna start from the beginnin’ and hope it answers some of your questions, ‘kay?”

Mondo briefly notices she has a rough accent. This only raises further questions. He chooses to stay silent.

Mrs Ishimaru closes her mirror with a snap and puts it beside her. Leaning back, she fixes Mondo with a cold stare.

“I went to Hopes Peak just like you did. The Ultimate Painter. Course that was only because of my daddys money: they took bribes back then, and they’re not gonna day no t’the prime ministers daughter, are they?”

“Wait you were the prime mini-“

“Hush. Now because of my lack of any actual talent I had to earn my keep a different way. I found other students and... convinced them to do my work for me.”

She patted her breasts, and put out her cigarette on the ash tray in front of them. Mondo’s brain was racing to keep up.

“Wait you-“

“Blew them, pegged them, finger blasted them, yes Blondie. Anyway one day in second year we were visited by this other class on a field trip from the public school. Among them was one Takaaki Hashimoto. He caught me ‘persuading’ a third year to give me some test answers or something, i dunno i cant remember. And well, then i had to double my money.”

A bit of sick made its home in the back of Mondo’s mouth. He swallowed it down and nodded for her to keep going.

“So, we fucked in the-actually i better not tell you where. You might never go in that classroom again.”

Mondo was never setting foot in that school again the way this night was playing out.

“Long story short: i got pregnant. At sixteen. Not a good look for the prime ministers daughter, and sure i could have gotten an abortion but somehow word got out and it was all over the news. A lose/lose situation. Anyway coincidentally daddy had his scandal a few weeks later, and he thought he could misdirect everyones attention from it by saying i was having a wedding.”

Mondo swallowed again and eyed her left hand. No ring.

“Blah blah blah now we’re poor, i’m a teenage mother, daddy’s lost his mind and i’m kicked out of school. I had to find work somewhere-i didnt have the qualifications for college-and shortly after Taka was born tada! I was employed here. Turns out people change their opinions on the sex work industry quick when they can hurl bricks at the family who made them all redundant.”

Ishimaru made jazz hands and sat back, puffing to the end of her cigarette and putting that out too. She reached behind her again and pulled a face when she presumably came up empty.

Mondo just stared at her.

“So... does Taka know about this?”

She snorted.

“‘Course ‘e does. Smart as a whip my boy. I’d ‘ave to explain why i slept in all day and came home at three in the morning.” 

“You live... close by?”

“We rent the flat above this joint. It’s hell. The musics too loud, people send us dead rats in the mail and the fucking walls are more mold than paint at this point. Plus i think we’re slowly dying of asbestos. But that shitty hovel housing two dipshit sluts somehow raises the smartest, kindest, sweetest boy in the whole world. He beat the odds and did better than anyone of us could ‘ave, entirely on ‘is own. That fancy Private School ‘e went to? Top scores on all ‘is entrance exams. Course they didn’t want to let ‘im in, apparently Daddy laid off the Headmasters family or something. But it would look bad if they turned away the brightest pupil they’d ever had. Didn’t mean they wouldn’t make Taka’s life miserable the ‘ole time he was there. Prissy cunts picking on a kid. Still Taka did it! And ‘e got into Hopes Peak all on his own! Without any help from anyone!”

Ishimaru’s expression slowly went from apathetic to mushy as she gushed. Mondo felt his heart thud painfully in his chest and he was sure he was making the same face.

“Yeah...” he breathed. Ishimaru’s cold eyes snapped back to his. While Taka’s were warm and dark like blood, hers were closer to pink, like a rose. It was somehow more frightening.

“You really care about my son, huh?” She sighed, and pressed down the invisible wrinkles in her corset. Mondo just then noticed the goosebumps and bruises down her arm. Running a hand through his wind-swept hair, he grunted.

“Yeah, i do. And i know some of the shit he went through at his old schools. But i didn’t know... any of this. He doesn’t talk about his home life much, in fact i only weaselled the information about his grandfather from him when we were both half dead in a sauna.”

Ishimaru quirked a shakily drawn eyebrow and smirked. Her teeth were crooked.

“We aren’t going anywhere until you tell me this story.”

<https://porcelain-dionysus.tumblr.com/post/611965814628843520>

I drew Mrs Ishimaru :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not entirely sure about this chapter, might rewrite it. Plus i drew fanart at the end.  
> Mondo: i am the leader of the biggest biker gang in the country, i am above the law, everyone is afraid of me  
> Mrs Ishimaru: if you even look at Kiyotaka i will stomp you to death with my hooves


	7. Canonically Mondo does say ‘my mum’ so we know he has one, so don’t think i’m implying she’s dead or anything.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I googled the name Kiyotaka, and apparently it means ‘persons may ill judged from the outside and be appear what they are not. Instead persons must learn to understand and appreciate partner’ and if that doesn’t fit ishimondo to a T. Also theres a kiyotaka ishimaru who is a former football player

“So who won in the end?”

“I told you it was a tie.”

“Yeah but did Kiyotaka last longer in the sauna or not?”

Mondo knew she wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and he was exhausted, physically and emotionally. He nodded. Mrs Ishimaru crowed with laughter, a throaty ‘AH HA HA’ that reminded him a little too much of Taka. God he needed a drink. Stupid Daiya and his stupid moral compass.

Speaking of moral compasses, Mrs Ishimaru was putting her heels back on, pulling a face as she forces it over her blisters.

“Honestly,” she was saying, “don’t feel too bad hon. Competitiveness is in the family name. Did you know his father and I arm wrestled when picking his name.”

“Who won?” Daiya piped up from where he had been silently nursing a sake for the last fifteen minutes. Ishimaru snorted and patted her bicep.

“You said you’ve seen my husband, yeah? Don’t even pretend that weasel could beat me. You’ll just embarrass yourself.”

Mondo cringed. Family drama was not his thing, but if he wanted to date Taka (which was a decision his brain had been battling itself over since he and Ishimaru senior had been introduced) he would probably have to at least be aware of it. He rubbed the back of his neck.

“You... don’t like Mr Ishimaru?” He asked awkwardly. Mrs Ishimaru looked up from where she was wrestling with her other shoe and gave him a guilty look.

“Oh... oh honey i didnt mean to make you think that. Takaaki’s my best friend. We’ve put ourselves through hell and the least we can do is like each other. We may not want to be married but that doesn’t mean we don’t love each other. Just not in the biblical sense.”

Mondo nodded. That... made sense. And it made sense for Taka. On the rare occasions Taka talked about his parents he was never short of admiration: not the kind of respect you’d give to a family who out you in the middle of their fighting. And Taka was not a passive man, he despised unnecessary fighting of all kind.

Mrs Ishimaru clapped triumphantly as she got her second shoe back on and zipped up the back of her corset. Looking back at the Owada brothers she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

“Alright i’ve got to go back for a bit but i’ll stick around for one more question from each of you.”

Daiya raised his hand, setting down his drink. Polite to a fault, but a weird approach to see from a former gang leader.

“Hm? Yeah?”

“Why did you pick the name Kiyotaka?”

Mondo snorted, picking at a loose curl from his unravelling pompadour. It was starting to look the tail of a toy poodle.

“‘Cause it means communication and optimism, dumbass. It’s a sophisticated name.”

Behind him, Ishimaru sucked in a breath through her teeth with an uncomfortable expression.

“Aaaactually... and please don’t tell Kiyotaka this. I just took the ‘Kiyo’ from my name Kioto and the ‘Taka’ from Takaaki and put them together. I thought it was funny, y’know? Like he was the product of two of the worlds biggest dipshits and he should be named as such. If i’d known how wonderful he’d turn out i’d have picked something more fitting like... er... Pafekuto.”

“That just means Perfect in kanji.”

“You put me on the spot!”

“His name would translate to ‘Perfect McPerfection.”

“It would be fitting!! Now i have to go, have a drink on me and then go home before you pass out. Just tell the bartender you hate me and he’ll give you a beer on the house.” She huffed, cheeks flushed and eyes heavy, before turning to stomp out the door. She was unnecessarily dramatic, like her son. It made Mondo’s heart feel warm.

It reminded him of gang get-togethers. Most of them didn’t have families to go home to, or the ones they had didn’t want them, so them all getting together was like their own family reunion. Big occasions like birthdays, holidays and personal accomplishments were treated like the worlds largest pack of brothers. Seeing that pride and familiarity on Mrs Ishimaru’s face made him feel something for Taka. Something like relief, like he didn’t have to worry his boy was in bad hands.

“Wait!” The word was out of his mouth before he knew it. Mrs Ishimaru stopped, one hand on the doorknob.

“What is it kid? You’re really pushing your luck sugar, i can feel the crowd getting anxious to maim me out there.”

“How do i, um, court Taka, Mrs Ishimaru?”

She didn’t say anything for a while, fingers drumming quickly on the door. That was another thing she and her son shared-an inability to sit still. Eventually she sighed and turned, hurrying over to Mondo’s side. She grabbed a pen from the table-earlier Mondo had noticed crude insults written across her in various handwritings so he didn’t have to question why it was there-and started scribbling down something on his arm.

“First of all cottontail, call me Kioto. Or mum. Whichever works for you. Second of all, this is my number. Because there’s no way i can tell you how to give my baby boy the romance he deserves in just one night, so i’m gonna walk you through this. Don’t tell him though he’ll get embarrassed and that’ll just set us back.” 

She patted Mondo’s shoulder with a somber smile. With her heels she was only one inch shorter than him, but he felt like he was looking up at her. Like she was the mother he never had. His chest felt weirdly gooey, like he might cry. He gave her a firm head nod, not trusting his voice not to break. She smiled at him.

“Okay, now go home and get some rest. If my boy became your brother in an hour I’m expecting a wedding by the end of the week and I will not have you be too tired for that. Now go, and text me tomorrow night.”

And with that she sauntered out the door to jeers and hollers, and Mondo didn’t see her again for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopes you liked my fanart-running low on ideas on what to draw next, not much inspo from this chapter :)


	8. Mondo may be a horny bastard but he’s a horny bastard with class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> This chapter contains referenced domestic and emotional abuse and social services. If ANY of this disturbs you DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER. It was hard enough for me to write it i dont want to lass that down to my audience. Thank you.

The Crazy Diamonds drove back to Tokyo after an hour, exhausted, hungry and most with blue balls. Mondo didn’t care. He had a new number in his pocket and an adult on his side to back him up. Sure he had an entire gang behind him, but their loyalty regarding Taka was yet to be seen. Plus, it just felt good to have a real adult-someone with a job and a house and a son-trusting him on this. Someone other than Daiya. Someone other than...

As they drove into Tokyo the Crazy Diamonds drifted off to their own paths without saying goodbye. Mondo couldn’t blame them: all he wanted was a warm bath and maybe a good wank. Hey, he can’t say he didn’t get anything out of that club.

Wait, no, Taka’s mu-Mrs Ishi-Kioto worked there, was he allowed to jerk off to her colleagues? Although most of them were bastards who allowed her to nearly be taken down by a chair thrown her way, so maybe he’d feel better sticking to pornography.

Or the hundreds photos of Taka he kept in his phone.

Daiya led him into their driveway and they parked, Mondo pulling out his phone from his pocket. It was a crappy off brand model with more cracks than screen and actual buttons you had to press to type. But it got the job done.

Though he wasn’t really using it to call anyone lately.

He subtly pulled up his photo albums and clicked on the one labelled ‘Taka <3’. Yes it was sappy, but it was better than what he’d put last week: ‘Sex Doll 8==D’.

Daiya grunted something, more to himself than to him, and collapsed face first onto the sofa without removing any clothes. He was snoring in seconds. Pausing for just a moment, Mondo grabbed a winter coat that was lying over a chair and draped it over his brother. Daiya snuffled in his sleep and turned over. 

Smilinf softly, Mondo headed to his own room, already unbuckling his pants.

It wasn’t a creepy sort of situation, like he was stalking Taka or anything. His bro was delighted to have pictures taken of him. And Mondo was happy to take them.

The Ishimaru’s own a camera and didn’t have a phone-which Mondo now felt stupid for bringing during his and Kioto’s conversation, given he ready knew about it. Did she think Taka didn’t tell him about his sad home life? Because he did, and Mondo always listened. Did she think Mondo didn’t? Oh god what if she only gave him her number to sabotage him? What if-

His phone buzzed.

‘Mndo hi it mum i txtin g from takaki fone. He has 1 for wrk nd hes aloeed 2 take it home. Mght not b abl 2 txt all day cause hve 2 wrk. Frm 2am-230 tats my lunch break. Txt thn. Lve u sys xxx’

Mondo buckled his pants back up. Well he couldn’t very well shoot one out to her son now could he? And-he checked his watch-it was four in the morning now. It was better to just go to sleep and then sort out his head tomorrow. Sending back a quick ‘thnx mum’ (it was too long to type Mrs Ishimaru and he felt weird calling her Kioto after she’d called herself mum in his texts, it wasn’t weird was it? No, obviously), he slumped it his own room and passed out in his bed.

Before he drifted off he made a reign check to rub one out to Taka when he woke up, when he knew Kioto wouldn’t be awake.

* * *

Ms Owada did not raise Daiya and Mondo. Mrs Owada could not raise Daiya and Mondo.

Ms Aneko Owada lived in a smart apartment building on the same street as her sons, with her carer Emi and her emotional support dog Nameless. He was named that because for the first three months she had him she kept forgetting he existed and Mondo thought it was funny at the time. A naive sentiment from a naive eleven year old.

Ms Aneko Owada had a fried brain. Her memory was all sorts of scattered: she remembered the exact date and time her second cousin got married (Haruko Owada in Barbados in 1992 at 12:37 am in a Saturday). But she would forgot to eat for days at a tike. 

Not the best women to be raising two children.

When Daiya was born, he lived under the roof of Aneko and her lover Jim, an exchange student from America. What happened to Mr Owada was never spoken about. Three months in, Jim left. He lasted to longest out of all of them.

Then came Bobby, Shouta, Eiji, Robert, Bobby (again) and thirty seven more who never stayed more than two days so Daiya didn’t count them. Then Mondo was born-what happened to that Mr Owada was not spoken about either). 

After Mondo was born Aneko had to take parental leave from her job as a cashier. They wouldn’t let her, saying it was almost black friday and she had to be there. Aneko crudely gestured to her lactating breasts and was promptly fired.

No job, two sons, wild card boyfriends was not the situation she wanted her boys to be raised under. She hadn’t done well enough for Daiya she sure wasn’t going to screw this up for Mondo.

Then she met Richard. Aneko had a habit of hanging around touristy type bars where exchange students liked to hang out (thus the Jim, Bobby and Robert situation). 

Richard bought her twelve drinks and took her back to her house, where a now seven year old Daiya had learned to cook, clean and wash his baby brother when mummy was at work. Richard politely told him he could go to bed and he’d finish his chores. Daiya shot off to his room without giving to strange man cradling his mummy a second thought.

Richard put Aneko to sleep on the sofa and tidied the rest of the house, and cooked breakfast for the four of them in the morning.

It was a unanimous decision for the Owada’s: Richard was going to stay.

Richard stayed for a year. Then a second year. Then a third. Daiya couldn’t believe his luck at this strange American man who took care of his unemployed mother and babbling brother.

At now ten years old, he didn’t know why his mummy still didn’t have a job. Or why all his friends had to go to school and he was allowed to stay at home.

Or why ugly, rank smelling men appeared at their doorstep, and Richard would trade money and small bags with them.

“Y’know Aneko,” Richard said one time at lunch (which was takeout for them and crisps for the boys), “i don’t see why you have to go knocking on every Tom Dick and Harry’s doorstep wailing for a job. I take care of you, dont i?”

“I know Richard,” Aneko replied, mopping up Mondo dribbling chin, “but wouldn’t it be nice to have a little extra? I just feel so useless sitting around this house all the time.”

“Well someone has to take care of the boys.”

“I can take care of Mondo!” Daiya piped up from where he was colouring on the sofa. Richard ignored him. Richard liked to do that.

“Maybe it would be easier to send them off to school.” Aneko muttered, chewing her thumb nail. Her curry had grown cold.

“With what money? You want to pretend youre a quaint little choir girl and let the church pay for our problems?”

Aneko’s nail was almost bleeding, and wet with spit. She wasn’t looking Richard in the eye.

“Well maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. My mother was Christian, i can pretend i’m born again-“

“Listen to yourself Aneko! You’re going to let some priest and his wife snoop around our house? You know how gullible you are, you’ll be throwing dinner parties by the end of the week, and you want the neighbourhood finding out about your little indiscretions?”

“My inde-but you’re the one who’s been drug-“

“Oh listen to you, always trying to spin the blame on me. If that what you want Daiya to listen to? His mummy, avoiding her fucking problems like always?”

“N-no Richard.”

“I work from home. You live at home. We don’t need the money.”

“No Richard.”

“I love you.”

“Mm.”

“Say it back.”

“... i love you too Richard.”

Daiya never told Mondo about Richard. By the time he left Mondo was barely five, and Aneko was broken. 

Daiya found her, cradling the side of her face, glass shattered around the floor. She was crying. He had seen his happen before, so, so many times. But this time Richard had packed his things and left them. The weird smell never quite left the house. 

Someone heard the noise and called the police. Aneko screamed at Daiya, thinking he did it, saying how he wanted to get taken away and how he didn’t love her.

A kind lady took Daiya’s hand and led him away, with her partner cradling Mondo. Any other day Daiya would have protested: he was twelve, he could live on his own, he didn’t need his hand held. But he didn’t think he had anything left in him.

Mondo and Daiya were sent to live in a lovely house with an old couple. They were kind and fed them well and never yelled. Mondo liked them, gurgling his baby talk and clapping his little five year old hands to their delight. Daiya didn’t say anything.

They were sent to school, in scratchy uncomfortable uniforms. Tucked away in a ‘special class’ to catch up on the all the work they had missed. Daiya could barely spell his own name, and Mondo still talked like a toddler. The other kids made fun of them. Daiya did what his mummy taught him to do when older boys ask after him, and socked them all in the jaw. The teachers didn’t care enough to stop him.

Aneko was sent to live with a woman named Emi. She didn’t quite speak right, and kept asking for Daiya. For three years she forgot Mondo existed.

Daiay created the Crazy Diamonds. It was just a silly game at first, between him and some boys from the year above. Then Giichi’s older brother got a motorcycle, and let him ride it. Then Daiya went out and got a job at a mechanics, and using the money he saved up over his time as school, got his own motorcycle.

Then Hibiki from the local bar was caught harassing some girl and The Crazy Diamonds motive was set. 

Daiya didn’t get into college, he kept collecting members and worked in the shop. Mondo joined him, and studied in his off time. He made friends with the younger members, like Michi and Satou.

They went to visit Aneko. She always sat at a chair by the window, watching the cars go past. Nameless at her feet, tail wagging. Mondo loved Nameless and spent most of his visits petting and playing with him.

“How are you mummy?”

“... good, thank you Daiya.”

“Mondo got a C on his workshop class yesterday.”

“Good.”

“Mondo’s your other son.”

“Oh, yes i remember now. Sorry i didn’t recognise him with the hair.”

“I told him he looks like a sun bleached carrot but he won’t listen.”

“Richard had blond hair like that.”

“... do you want me to make you a cup of tea? Or play a game?”

“There’s a monopoly under the fridge if you want.”

“No mummy, Emi threw it out because you got too upset, remember?”

“... oh yes. Sorry Mondo.”

“I’m Daiya.”

Their conversations didn’t change over the years. Daiya got Mondo a dog, Chuck. Daiya passed tbe mantle down to Mondo. Daiya was now studying for college.

Aneko lived on the same street at them, but didn’t raise them anymore. Mondo thought about all of them as he dreamt, and wondered if she’d be upset he was calling another woman ‘mum’.

Well, Kioto may be his mum, but Aneko would always be his mummy.

  
<https://porcelain-dionysus.tumblr.com/post/612211055503048704/chapter-8>

<https://porcelain-dionysus.tumblr.com/post/612322615324966912/prime-minister-kiyotaka-ishimaru-was-spotted-on>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I project the fuck onto baby Daiya: the musical


	9. Haha masturbation hahaha

Mondo spent the rest of his holiday with his gang, causing mayhem foe corrupt local politicians during the day, dreamily recounting Taka’s perfect angular nose and jaw to his begrudging brother at night. He visited his mother twice-same conversation as always “No i’m Mondo, i don’t know when Emi will make lunch, can I pet your dog, i’m not Daiya” and Kioto never texted him once. He supposed now he wasn’t with Taka her plan wouldn’t be put into action yet.

But alas, all good things must come to an end, and the first day Hopes Peak rolled around once again. Mondo hugged his brother goodbye at the entrance and wandered inside.

”Kyudoi!”   
  
He turned around in an instant and immediately saw Taka waving to him from the car park. They ran to each other like a sappy reunited couple at an airport.

”Oh Kyudoi i’m so happy to see you again! I missed you so much!”

Mondo’s heart hurt, the thought of his boy all alone in his dorm, studying and checking his calendar for his friends to come back clinging to him. He felt like shit for ever leaving in the first place.

”Aw Bro, don’t worry about it. It’s ages until the next holiday, and i’m not going anyway. Now how was your spring break?”

Taka lunges forward and wrapped his arms around Mondo’s middle. Somewhere his lungs stopped working and he hugged back on instinct.

”Oh it was lovely, although it would have been far better if you were with me, hahaha! Headmaster Kirigiri invited me to a student teacher dinner with everyone else who had stayed behind. He was only being polite but I couldn’t say no! The Ultimate Seamstress Aiko Abe switched our name placements though, so I didn’t get to sit near The Headmaster. I’m sure he would have preferred her company over mine anyway.”

Mondo grip on Taka’s jacket tightened, and he made a mental check to have a ‘chat’ with Aiko Abe after school. Misinterpreting his bros aggression, Taka hugged tighter as well. Mondo’s chest nearly exploded with how fast it was thumping.

”Aw don’t think like that Bro! Kirigiri put your name next to his on purpose! I know for a fact that you’re one of his favourites-“

”Ahem.”

Mondo did a 180•. Taka flailed slightly before letting go of Mondo’s jacket and peering out from behind him.

Daiya was standing there, arms crossed, looking way too smug.

”Hi Mon-chan.”

Mon-chan snarled at him. One arm snaked behind himself and held Taka’s shoulder protectively. His brother wasn’t a threat, but he did have way too much information.

”I thought you left.”

”You have my bike keys. I assume this is Taka?”

Taka bristled, and stepped out. He stood to his full height-still two heads shorter than Daiya-and gave his sternest look. Very sexy.

”My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru! My friends call me Taka. How did you recognise me?”

He didn’t mean to be rude, but he really wasn’t the best at introductions.

Daiya gave a long, loong once over of the boy in front of him, and his brother. He quirked an eyebrow. Mondo got ready to deck him.

”Oh i’ve heard a lot about you from Mon-chan. Particularly descriptions. I could point you out in a line up of hundreds.”

Taka brightened. Mondo darkened.

”R-really? Kyudoi talked about me?”

”Over and over.”

”What did he say?”

Even Daiya was taken aback by that. He stammered slightly, mind working to find a way to embarrass his brother and not give too much away.

”Oh, just about how cool you are, and clever. You’re basically a genius right?”

Taka flinched. Mondo never mentioned his grandfather to Daiya-plenty of people in their neighbourhood were impacted by the Ishimaru reign and he didn’t need his brother having a vendetta on his true love.

Wait.   
What the fuck?

Where the hell had that come from?

As Mondo stood in silence wondering where he slip of the mind had come from, Taka twitched slightly.

”Ahaha. I see your confusion. I am no genius. I’m just a regular person. Just an average Joe, that’s me!”

”But you’re, like, the smartest person in the whole school yeah? And the best in all your classes? And you study 24/7? You must have a natural talent.”

Out of the corner of his eye, outside of his “Am I in love with Taka? Is he my own true love? I mean he makes me see the world in new ways and makes me feel better about my place in it and everytime i’m with him i’m reminded of how badly I want to spend the rest of my life with him and he makes me feel all mushy like he’s a present that I never want to stop unwrapping but is that love? Am I in love?”, Mondo spotted Taka shaking.

”Er, bro, why don’t you go lock up my bike for me? I taught you how to do it before I left right, this’ll be good practise.”

Taka bounced back immediately and smiled, making Mondo’s knees turn numb, and bounded away clutching his kydoui’s bike keys like precious cargo. Ooohh, Mondo was so doomed.

Daiya was looking at him smugly.

”You really know how to pick ‘em Mon-Mon.”

”If you lay a hand on him i’ll rip your teeth from your skull.”

* * *

School life continued as normal from then on. Taka and Mondo met up to go to class together, Taka showed Mondo how to take noted properly in class.  
Then lunch came around and Mondo led Taka through conversations with their peers, carefully taking him away when it got too much.

They went back to Taka’s dorm (the mess of Mondo’s made him feel overwhelmed and Mondo would take any excuse he could to be in Taka’s room) and they studied together.

Then they had a sleepover and woke up together the next morning.

But as the days wore on, Mondo’s feelings grew like a balloon filled with toxic gas. Taka would do something perfectly ordinary, like yell at some running students in the hall and Mondo would be reminded of how strong willed and passionate he was. Or get an answer right in his worst class: Maths, and his eyes would sparkled like perfectly shined garnets. Or he’s stretch just so and his shirt would ride up, and Mondo would have to excuse himself before his dick exploded in his pants.

He’d taken to carrying round wet wipes before the boys bathrooms were painted in his mess, and whispers of ‘Taka Taka Taka’.

He’d walked of the toilets to see Genocide Syo staring at him, face flushed. They nodded understandingly to each other and moved on with their lives.

Thank god Syo and Toko didn’t share memories.

* * *

Its three am and Taka’s only just decided to go to bed. Hes snuggled up beside Mondo, short spiky hair flat with sweat against his forehead and the pillow and cheek smushed against his arm. His normally pale face is tinted pink from smiling all night long. Mondo has never seen him look so soft. He looks like he might melt into the mattress. 

Also, and Mondo found this out completely by accident from walking into his room to tell him he’d left his door unlocked, but Taka usually sleeps naked. The shock left his mind fried and Mondo laments his wiped memory.

So now Taka’s sleeping in borrowed pyjamas which are just his new tracksuit bottoms and nothing else. It may be somehow sexier than him sleeping naked. When he first saw him, Mondo immediately wrapped him in a blanket burrito and would not let Taka out. His heart (and dick) wouldnt survive it.

But Taka’s angry eyebrows are finally relaxed and he looks so much younger, as his eyes shift behind closed eyelids, barely holding onto consciousness. He’s seconds from falling asleep.

God he’s so handsome. It’s killing Mondo the more he looks at his best friend but he doesn’t think he can stomach sitting by such a gorgeous figure any longer. Humans weren’t built to survive such beauty. Taka looks like he’s carved out of pure white marble, a greek god, his scars, moles and spots just dents and chips. His ‘imperfections’ just make him more beautiful. He’s hovering in the line between demon and angel.

Mondo can’t do this anymore.

He has to do something. His mind is deteriorating, his attention constantly torn. 

His only options are to cut Taka out of his life, which the thought of makes something sour grab at his stomach and pull.

Or confess.

Mondo falls back in the bed and his head hits the pillow. Taka’s limp body jumps slightly under the weight, he snuffles a complaint, and rolls over.

Mondo inhales, exhales, and pointedly doesn’t stare at his friends back muscles. They’re like razor blades and Mondo would happily cut his tongue on them.

No. Focus. Make a decision.

For once his heart takes charge ahead of his cock and Mondo can eventually think straight.

He wrenches his eyes away from Taka’s resting body and stares at the ceiling. The ceiling light kind of looks like a boob and the thought breaks him out of his mental maze.

Getting out of bed, careful not to jostle Taka, Mondo moves to his friends desk and starts scribbling onto the back of a random piece of paper.

‘Pros of running away:

No more feelings

Dont have to do as much homework

Practise as suppressing feelings like the cold heartless bastard gang leaders are supposed to be.’

Hm, it wasn’t very impressive. Taka may say he could do whatever he set his mind to, bit clearly Ultimate Lawyer was not a future he should set his sights on.

He tried again.

‘Cons of running away:

No more Taka’

Yeah that seemed like enough to convince him. 

Now for the hard part.

‘Cons of confessing:

Taka is secretly homophobic

Taka is overwhelmed and has a mental breakdown 

Taka runs away

Someone finds out and Taka future as a politician is destroyed

Taka gets kicked out of school’

Well. Hm. Shit. Those were... all pretty good reasons. Fuck.

Okay let’s break this shit down,

‘No more Taka’ well... maybe. He either leaves or he stays. That’s a fifty percent chance either way, and with the impressive amount of options of both pros and cons there are plenty of ways Taka could leave or stay. 

None of that made sense to Mondo but it sounded smart enough for him to denounce Taka Leaving as a viable option.

‘Taka is secretly homophobic’. All of Mondo’s lo-like for Taka cane from him being compassionate, cultured and made Mondo see the world in different ways. Him being homophobic went against all of that and there was no reason for Mondo to be attracted to him. Not to mention it went against Taka’s own morals. 

‘Taka has a mental breakdown and runs away’. A mental breakdown? Well he was known for them. Besides Mondo knew how to handle Taka when he got like that-name everything blue in the room. Describe your senses. Listen as Mondo blathers about whatever comes to his head. One confession wouldnt break him. Right?

‘Taka runs away’. Taka was many things-not all of them good, even Mondo could admit that-but a coward was not one of them. Taka stood his ground like an idiot while stupider but stronger peers pushed him down and shoved him aside. 

‘It ruins his political career’. During the-honestly more and more frequent-hours where Mondo listened intently as Taka babbled passionately about politics, he’d sometimes mentioned political scandals. Not often, it reminded him too much of his grandfather and those were one of the subjects they Do Not Talk About. Along with money and his childhood peers. Mondo sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes. God this was so shitty.

Maybe he could hold out a little longer. Just exist in this dreamt world of admiring from a distance. He shifted in his chair and turned to face his beat friend.

Taka snuffled into his pillow and pulled the duvet down against the heat, revealing more of his delicious body. 

At some point his sweatpants had fallen and his hips were on full display. A perfect jutting v line barely cut off by grey fabric, like an arrow towards the eighth wonder of the world. And resting perfectly in between, the thinnest dowry few black hair trailing down his stomach and pecs, the perfect treasure trail. And what a treasure it was.

Mondo swallowed the excess saliva that had built in his mouth. Shoving the piece of paper into a random folder he made his way to the bathroom. He needed closure. And a good long wank.

The wank first though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha cucked. No smut for you just yet.  
> Also Syo and Mondo are bros.


	10. A Taka Chapter!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stop saying Hiro deserved to die in Taka’s place! He was the only one trying to help Taka when he shut down and get him to join in!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aahhh!! I have another ishimondo au story i want to write but i know as soon as i start that one i’ll stop this one aaahh!! Thank you so much for your comments it really inspires me to keep going!!

Last year on Valentines Day, Hina had been handing round ‘friendship chocolates’ to everyone in class. When she got to Hiro, he stood up and made an announcement;

“Hey everyone. Just wanted to make something clear: i’ve had to do this every year i’ve been at this school so please don’t feel personally attacked. I will not be giving or receiving valentines gifts from anyone. Anyone. It feels a lot of people have forgotten but i’m 21, and y’all are 15-16. Like when Leon invites me round for ‘bros night’. No Leon spending my time with a bunch of teenagers in their pyjamas does not sound like a good time for me, it sounds like an explanation i’d give in court. Yes, even friendship chocolates make me feel... icky. So this v-day, and all v-day’s, are off limits for me.”

He sat back down again with a smattering of polite applause. 

Taka made a not of it in his life planner and went back to memorising vocab words.

After first period Hiro found Taka and explained that he’s caught Hina trying to sneak the chocolates into his locker when he’d gone for a bathroom break. 

Taka reprimanded him for skipping class as the boys bathrooms were nowhere near the lockers, but promised to spend the rest of his day guarding Hiro’s locker in case any other people tried to secretly give him presents.

Hiro may be, pardon the language, an airhead, but his morals were unparalleled. Taka could respect that.

His teachers said he was so far ahead in class he could just spend his time revising while he was there (actually they all told him to take a break and Taka was too polite to laugh in their faces). Plus he and Mondo weren’t friends yet so he didn’t have anyone to hang out with.

As Taka flattened the creases in his exercise book to practise his science equations, he thought about what he had learnt about friendship during his time during Hopes Peak.

There were different types of friendships. Different types of friends. A conclusion that spun Taka for a loop to be honest. During the first few weeks of his stay he was the exact same way with everyone: same rehearsed speech, same observing their pauses to figure out when he should laugh or not, same vigorous style of trying to subliminally tell people to study without them knowing. A flawless technique if he did say so himself.

But he found he had to act differently around certain people: 

There was Makoto, his ‘good friend’. (He never thought he’d make A friend let alone a good one!). Makoto was always there to listen to him vent about his home life and studying problems, there to lend a helpful hand. Taka sometimes felt bad that Makoto never seemed to talk about himself a lot. He just got this glazed look, like he was picking dialogue options. Very strange.

Speaking of dialogue options, Chihiro (Very Good Friend) was teaching him video games! They said it was a disgrace he had never played before, and then immediately went red as they remembered why. Taka had changed the subject. He got too mad at all the law breaking in racing games and jittery in puzzle games. So they showed him something a little slower and helped him study building his own little town online.

How wonderful! Taka could focus on where to put his houses and mend to his farm, like a fictional monopoly. But he didn’t need anyone else to play with. Not that he’d ever played with anyone anyw-moving on.

Admittedly he got a bit stressed when the pretend mayor demanded pretend taxes, but it was good practise for his maths. It did give way to several minutes of sitting in front of the school computer hurriedly scribbling down simple addition while cursing his inability to do Maths in his head. Damn Maths.

His mother used to say he had ‘Maths Dyslexia’. Which was coincidental because she had actual dyslexia. And adhd. And both her and father had autism. Actually they both said he definitely had it but they couldn’t diagnose him officially because if they went to a doctor then word would get out and they didn’t need anymore harassment and-

Dammit. Happened again. 

Taka grunted under his breath, teeth clenched, and forced his attention back on the numbers in front of him.

Someones breath hitched. He jumped and turned around to see, ugh, Owada staring at him from across the room. Chihiro quietly mentioned that his face was red. He should take off that ridiculous jacket.

DAMMIT!! DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!! Even when he was supposed to be doing work he was getting distracted! Not even about Owada, not even about the Maths. But he was supposed to be guarding Hiro’s locker and he was just reminiscing about some unimportant moment in the computer room! Dammit!

God why could he never pay attention to anything? It probably took him three times longer to study than anyone else because the words just turned to mush and his mind wandered. And to what? He had no hobbies, no friends, no interests. All he had were his own pathetic memories to keep him company, and most of those were sad and upsetting anyways.

Why was anyone friends with him? Why did anyone put up with him? Weren’t conversations built on mutual understanding and entertainments? How was he supposed to do that if he didn’t do anything?! 

And now he’s self pitying instead of guarding. Goddamit. Someone could have probably snuck an entire crown jewel into Hiro’s locker and he’d be none the wiser. Taka heaved himself to his feet and checked. Nope. Nobody.

“Hey man!”

Taka felt a flinch run through his body and he swivelled just in time to duck as Hiro tried to pull him under his arm.

“Whoops, you got away from me there! Ah, i’ll get you someday Taka. You’re like an eel, never caught by surprise.”

Taka didn’t mention that was because he was uncomfortable with touch. He didn’t think Hiro would appreciate it.

Or maybe he would and Taka was just terrible with social cues. His skin prickled as he imagined Hiro’s arm gripping him and clenched his book bag tighter.

Wow he was angry. He could feel the hot white rage flow through him from nowhere and he almost keeled from how powerful it was.

Taka didn’t know what was making him so mad suddenly, but every word Hiro eas saying was just another pencil drilling into his ear canals.

Oh hell Hiro was talking.

“-with the aliens. Anyway man thanks so much for helping me out today i know it probably interrupted your studying.”

If you knew then why did you do it?

“I thought you could help me with my science homework? I know you’re always trying to get me to do that shi-stuff.”

A string of fabric broke on Taka’s bag from how tight he was holding it.

“Of... course Hagakure! I’m always happy to help a student on their journey on their educational crusade!”

Although Hiro had been on that journey so many times he had probably discovered a new country at this point.

In out repeat. Don’t smack someone. Go back to your room and-

“And here are our lockers! I check my mirror in it every morning and blow a kiss to my Jimin poster *tee hee*”

Sayaka crossed the corner followed by a cameraman and a woman in a pencil skirt.

“And whose locker are you next to? Someone as famous as you deserves only the best. The fashonista or the baseball player?”

The distance between Sayaka and Hiro shortened and Taka could feel his ankles becoming numb from holding up his weight.

There was a camera there. A camera. A camera.

No please god no. He’d gotten so far away from all that. Hardly anyone in his class knows he’s THAT Ishimaru and he’ll wade through the five rivers of hell to keep it that way. If he appears on camera-on a Sayaka video no less, those got millions of views-he’d be recognised-mocked-humiliated-shunned from everyone-god please he worked so hard to get away from that he’d worked so hard-

“Hey Taka? Taka?”

His feet were moving. Why were they moving? His legs were lagging behind him as the hand on his arm pulled tighter.

“It’s okay buddy they won’t follow us. Just focus on my breathing. In. Out. In. Out.”

They had stopped now. They were in another hallway and Taka’s head was spinning. He couldn’t feel his body. He couldn’t move his body. 

“In. Out. In. Out.”

“Thank you... Hiro.”

The world spun back into focus and a wave of sick crashed in the back of Taka’s throat.

“Spit.” A tanned hand came into view holding out a piece of tissue, and Taka weakly spat into it. It cane up yellow. His mouth tasted disgusting.

Hiro lead them to a water fountain beside him and gently hovered a hand over Taka’s back.

“C’mon man. Drink, it’ll make you feel better.”

“Mmmmno. Not s’pposed to put mouth on, germs, ‘gainst rules.”

His brain was liquid sloshing against his skull, and words just flowed out of him like drool.

“Oh my god fine, here.”

Hiro cupped his hands and, using his elbow, pressed the button. His hands filled with water and he held them up to Taka’s face.

As he was coming down from his panic, somewhere he wondered if Hiro ever washed his hands, and he must touch a lot of people of palm readings, and his nails were really dirty. But all he could do was slump forward and slurp, water trickling down his chin. He was partially aware he was crying.

“It’s okay let it out. No one’s here.”

Hiro wasn’t touching him but Taka could feel his hand wavering over him doing some weird prayer. It was strangely comforting.

“I’m-i’m sorry for wasting your time Hagakure. I’m sure you’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Nonsense dude i’m not goin’ anywhere until you’re better. Now what was that all about?”

Taka sniffed, grimacing at the watery bubble that came up. Hiro offered him the tissue again to wipe his nose.

“...camera.”

“Not photogenic, huh? Hey I remember googling everyone one before school started and I couldn’t find a picture of you outside of class anywhere. It was all assembly and awards stuff.”

Taka shuddered. He remembered those pictures. His old headmaster had put it up in the hallways to impress the visiting school board. By the end of the hour it had been vandalised with swastikas, nasty phrases and ripped to pieces. Taka had politely declined getting his photo taken for awards ever since.

“I mean I heard from Makoto that you’re all ‘all work and no play’ but there weren’t any class photos. Did you not do that at your old school?”

Taka shook his head. He nudged the fountain with his foot, arms numb, and Hiro started filling up his hands again.

“No they did. I wasn’t allowed in them though. My teacher said it would make the school look bad.”

Hiro paused, water splashing onto the floor.

“Hagakure i will make you clean that up later.”

“Wait why would you make them look bad? Did you do something?”

Taka didn’t say anything. Hiro apparently took the hint.

“I guess you just had a bad haircut, huh? Hey gave you ever grown out your hair? You really rock the crewcut don’t get me wrong but girls like long hair nowadays. I’ve been at this school so long i’ve seen every trend come and go so maybe don’t try too hard. Hey what’d you get for Valentines Day?” He babbled, tipping his hands towards Taka’s face to drink. Taka felt a bit stupid, but it was also kind of nice being pampered like this. The most he’d gotten before were the few days his mother got to take off work because of injury. She just ket him lay his head on her lap while she trimmed his hair, but it was nice. The memory made him feel a little lighter.

“Oh I, er, also told everyone not to give me anything.”

“What why? You’re not an adult. In fact i wouldn’t be surprised if you skipped a few years.”

“And miss out on valuable learning? Never! Skipping years is for geniuses!”

“Ah right, i heard about that. So Valentines?”

Taka took more tissues from where Hiro was producing them from his never ending pocket, and wiped the excess water from his face. He felt crusty, but better.

“I... am used to receiving gifts in poor taste. I wanted to eliminate that chance.”

“What like gag gifts? Nah not even Leon or Mondo would pull something like that. They’re both too petty they didn’t get anything romantic. But not even Sayaka’s friendship chocolates?”

“Hm. No. I couldn’t be sure someone hadn’t infiltrated it.”

Hiro laughed, and something in Taka stirred. He felt sick again.

“With what? Chillis? Toothpaste? I once had someone give me a heart-shaped lollipop made out of slime. Tasted like feet, disgusting.”

“In my last school a girl put a dead rat in my desk the size of a Jack Russell. Another year someone ripped my swimming trunks and showed my, um, thing to all the girls in gym class. I was given detention. My class kept a box with all my teeth they had knocked out. Valentines Day does not give me happy memories. Neither does any other day to be honest.”

Hiro was giving him a look. A look he couldn’t decipher. Pity maybe? It was the same one his father got when he came home bleeding. Like he might start crying. 

Hiro put a hand on his shoulder. Taka flinched but Hiro just squeezed tighter.

This is it. He’s going to hit me. I knew it. He’s so much taller than me and an adult they’ll all listen to him and not me oh why did i come to this school i’ll never escape never never never-

“Kiyotaka no one will ever put a dead rat in your desk again. Or rip your trunks or hit you. Ever. I swear on the great god Pathuti. I promise you. And if anyone does i will curse them so bad their grandkids will suffer.”

Briefly, Taka felt like he was being mocked. But... Hiro was so passionate about his beliefs and he was going to use that to help Taka. Tears welled up again, and Hiro released his death grip to rub Taka’s arm.

“Hey it’s okay man. If you ask Hina she’d love to give you those chocolates if you-“

“-the chocolates!”

They rushed (sped walked) back to the lockers to see a pink package peeking out of Hiro’s door.

“Dammit. Wanna share?”

That evening as Taka oversaw Hina’s detention, Hiro sat in with them so Taka didn’t have to be on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiro Appreciation Hour 2020  
> Also I like my hc that Ishida is what happens when an autistic child never got help. A shutdown followed by a meltdown.
> 
> Plus this chapter doesnt focus on Hiro’s facial expressions or tone of voice because Taka wouldn’t recignise those.


	11. Am i happy? Horny? Hungry?: chapter 11, Taka nearly kills Mondo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dangan: Ishimaru is dismissive of hiro because his talent isnt effort or logic based  
> Me, bashing them over the head: LET TAKA BE SUPPORTIVE OF HIS FRIENDS INTERESTS!!

Kiyotaka was not a religious man. Takaaki had tried to raise him christian as a child, he himself had stopped practising but he knew what horrors would await his child and wanted him to have a good support system.

The local church hadn’t been affected by the Ishimaru name so they happily took Taka in and tried to teach him the best they could. But seventeen years of bad luck and hate can make it hard to believe in an all forgiving God. 

At seven years old with a bloody lip Taka came home and asked if God punishes sinners what did he do that was so bad? Takaaki stopped taking him to church after that.

Kiyotaka wished he could say it hadn’t always been like that, but his mother once told him even as a baby, she had been pushing him along in a stroller and a random woman came up and spat at him. 

Despite all this however, Taka was never one to dispute anothers beliefs: as long as it promotes good morals and provides comfort he would happily encourage his peers.

That’s why, when Hiro randomly joined Taka and Mondo for lunch one day and asked if he could show them his new tarot cards Taka happily agreed.

And thus began the-admittedly unforeseen-Wednesday tradition of The Hopes Peak Seances: starring Hiro, Taka, Kazuichi, Gundam and Sonia from the year above.

Hiro was the club president, much to Gundam’s chagrin, and was in his element completely. At first it was... a bit of a mess. Kazuichi would not stop interrupting Gundam, Gundam wouldn’t say more than three words to Sonia, Sonia kept trying to ask Hiro about internet creepypastas as if they were real Japanese legends, and Hiro was happy in the corner with his crystal ball.

Taka was invited to one meeting and immediately called for change. He set up a rota and made sure everyone got an activity to show their skills.

  1. Gundam draws out a sigil on the floor-in chalk so they can clean it up later-and does the appropriate chanting
  2. Sonia picks their demon of the week and does her powerpoint presentation on her research (Taka helps her prepare her speech)
  3. Kazuichi was pretty tough to figure out but eventually found he quite liked showing off his new inventions for the hams-Dark Devas, which Gundam said counted as a club activity because it aided in their evil endeavours. Last week Jum-P got a new jetpack.
  4. Hiro does everyones palm readings, card readings, fourtune telling and... other stuff Taka was yet to understand fully. He and Kazuichi mostly stayed in the corner playing with the hamsters.
  5. And Taka made notes on the whole thing and sent it off to the Talent Research Lab.



So far it was going tremendously. Taka had yet another social activity on his calendar and the headmaster was grateful for all his research. And he had some new friends! With upperclassmen no less!

After the holidays were over and Mondo was back from his ride across the country (that’s what he had said. When Taka asked him about what he’d done, who he’d met, Mondo went a shade purple and changed the subject), Taka was happy to go back to his rigid and strict schedule.

“Heeeyy Taka!! Ready for our club? Haven’t forgotten about it over Spring right?”

“I have it written in my calendar fir the next the three months. The internet said that’s how long we are likely to keep it going until we disband.”

Hiro laughed and waved Taka and Mondo goodbye from their seats in the canteen. Kiyotaka gave Mondo a smile, which was then replaced by a scowl as he saw what his soul brother was eating.

“Ugh. Do you not have a single vegetable in there Bro? Here, have some of my rice. You can’t keep up that impressive figure if you eat nothing but junk all day long.”

Mondo took a very long deep breath and stared at the table. His hand scratched at his pocket.

“Er, n-no bro. And you look way better than I do, i-i mean i’ve always thought you were really handso-“

“Comparing body types is useless when we have such completely different goals!” Taka interrupted, sliding rice and mixed vegetables onto Mondo’s plate. His bros hand curled into a fist.

“You need to look intimidating for your gang and this your workout is mostly weight lifting and styles of fighting, right? This your chest is far bigger and softer, and your arms are more noticeable.”

Mondo choked on his chocolate bar-avoiding the healthy alternative Taka had provided-and nearly lept from his seat. Taka gave him an odd look. He wasn’t the best at ‘normal conversation’, he knew that. But whenever he got it wrong his bro would just correct him and move on. So what was causing this reaction?

“S-soft?!”

“You use them for fighting and not for aesthetics like, say, Leon. Ans your body has created a nice layer of fat to protect them against muscle strain. Which would, in turn, make them softer.”

Taka placed a hand on Mondo’s shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He wasn’t a fan of PDA himself-it triggered too many poor memories of being assaulted, it was a poor sensory thing and it broke school rules-but Mondo seemed to like it. A lot. He was always touching Taka, it seemed. And always asked for permission first. The thought made something warm stir in Taka’s stomach, as it always did when he thought about Mondo.

Emotions were not his forte so he always chose to ignore it.

“W-well you’re fucking buff you y’know Kyoudai!” Mondo yelled back, causing several students to turn and look at them. Taka ignored them too.

“Yes but my regime is more focused on health: Kendo in the morning and various other sports clubs throughout the week. European football, track and field, rugby, boxing. Sakura’s been teaching me to spar lately-oh, she stayed behind during the holidays too i forgot to tell you! Hey, how come you never come see me play?”

It... hurt just a little that his soul brother always seemed to have an excuse whenever Taka invited him. He himself always ducked out when a proper match occured-the thought of losing the game for his team and them hating him, of following him into the locker room and guarding the door-of Eiji holding his arms back while Fumihiro punched him in the stomach until he threw up screaming “KIYOBAKA ISHIMARU!! KIYOBAKA ISHIMARU!!”

Much luck all other unfamiliar or upsetting emotions, Taka pushed the memory away too.

Mondo looked over at the exit door, gripping his fork so tightly it looked like it would snap.

“...uniforms.” He finally muttered, so quietly Taka almost didn’t hear. He frowned.

“My gym uniform? I admit it shows far more skin than i’m used to, and the only appropriate pair of shoes i can borrow from the lost and found are just a size too small. But it is what the school tells us to wear and-“

“Uniforms!” Mondo shouted, dropping the fork. It bounced once then rolled to the floor. Taka reached down to grab it.

“Sorry Kyoudai?”

“W-well the school doesnt day you have to wear exactly that, does it? It just has basic requireme-er,”

“Requirements?”

“Yeah! So how about this weekend you and me go out and buy you some new clothes? You still only have your uniform right?”

The familiar speech cane back to him about ‘as a student it is only appropriate’ but Taka had used that on everyone who asked and it never seemed to convince anyone.

“I don’t have any-“

“I’ll pay!”

“I could not let-“

“Consider it an apology for not sticking around during the holidays, yeah?”

“You needed to see your brothers and gang!”

“Then! Then i’ll use the money i got from my carpentry! No one ever said i couldn’t use it for personal use!”

“You’re supposed to save that money for the future?!” A heat came over Taka’s face and several emotions battled it out in his head. Normally he’d take the time to unpack each one, but he was so caught up in his argument it just swept around in his mind.

“I’ve been using the trust fund from the school for the future! This carpentry thing is just for me.”

“It is an impressive and wonderful hobby!”

“Then i’ll use the money on an impressive and wonderful person!”

“Fine!!”

Everyone was looking at them. Aw, hell. Any other day Taka would have stood up and told them all it was rude to stare, but now he was overwhelmed and worn out and had seance club to get to. He got up on wobbly legs and staggered towards the exit, leaving his lunch behind.

“Cool bro! I’ll get, like, a clothes catalog from Junko! We’ll talk about this tonight, yeah?” Mondo yelled across the hall.

Taka gave a weak thumbs up behind him and left the canteen. Maybe Gundam could do a summoning to extract these overpowering feelings. Or at least tell then what they are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I havent played dr3 im sorry if i missed anyone out of the seance club! (But no spoilers though!!)


	12. Taka get your SHIT together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I havent played dr3 yet so im sorry if i left anyone out of the seance club!!

Kiyotaka had known he was gay since he was twelve years old and his class went on a field trip to an art museum out of their small town. He took one look at a marble statue of Lucifer with his long wavy hair and perfect biceps and pillowy pecs... and had to excuse himself to the bathroom for the rest of the visit.

Over the course of his exploration of sexuality Taka learned two things:

  1. He was gay
  2. He kind of had a thing for bad boys



So when he walked into Hopes Peak last year to see Mondo Owada, chest peeking out from his paper thin vest and belt slung low on his hips, punting poor Makoto across the room, he knew he was doomed.

Worse still was all the attention Mondo seemed insistent on giving him. At first it had been a rather watered down version of the teasing he’d received at home. Being beaten up every day on his way home suddenly made basic pranks and insults a welcome change. Mondo didn’t scare him. Instead, he excited him.

Every class Mondo was there, shooting spit balls at the back of his head. Every evening Taka would reprimand him for leaving his dorm after the lights were out.

Every other night he’d close his eyes to see Mondo writhing underneath him, panting and snarling.

Oh god and then the sauna.

It was so much easier when they were rivals. Just a petty feud based on a masculinity complex that Taka could chalk up to his own tastes. But then they talked. And Mondo listened. He was kind, and passionate, and didn’t get mad when Kiyotaka misused ‘common’ slang. Or had to oversee detention and missed out on their Guys Night. Instead Mondo was pissed at whoever caused trouble for Taka in the first place, claiming he had “too much on his plate to be dealing with these dickwads, eh Kyoudai?”

Oh and he believed in Taka. God he believed in Taka so much.

When Kiyotaka told someone about his dream to become Prime Minister, he readily expected them to fall on the scale between ‘sneering disgust’ and ‘bewildered condescending’. Mondo disregarded the scale completely.

“Man those speed limits are bullshit, motorcyclists are more likely to cause an accident going slower on a motorway. You’ll fix that when you’re Prime Minister, wont you Taka?”

“The food my ma gets at her home is pathetic, make sure to remember that when you get run, ‘kay?”

“Hey you don’t know any songs right? No, I don’t mean classical i mean like rock music. I’ll show you some cool stuff to play when you get elected!”

Mondo had started keeping a list of small issues for Taka to take with him when he ran for office. He kept it in his jacket pocket. The same jacket used to signify his leadership over the Crazy Diamonds. It choked Taka up a little when be thought about it.

But now his Kyuodai was acting strangely around him, especially since he’d come back from his holiday. Taka was never one for identify facial expressions, and he felt too embarrassed to ask someone else for help. What if it was something Mondo didn’t want anyone else to know?

“Hey Kiyo!”

Ah, right. The Seance.

Kazuichi was waving at his from the doorway to their club, neon pink hair almost glowing in the dark. Taka could never do something as bold as that with his appearance. 

But he and Mondo were going out shopping, what would he buy? Something professional, obviously, but Mondo knew more about fashion suitable for someone of their age. Taka didn’t want to walk into school in short shorts and pastel heels.

Although he wouldn’t say no Mondo wearing in that...

“Ready man?”

He jolted as Hiro nodded at him from the corner of the room, surrounded by tarot cards and his crystal ball.

“Erm, yes, of course! Just give me a moment to get my notepad and we can-“

“Ha ha, not to worry Ishimaru.” Sonia waved him off, petting Cham-P on her shoulder, who was trying to nibble her hair. She was the only one Taka felt was as confused about their peers interests as he was. 

“Since it is our first club meeting since we’ve all gotten back Gundam thought we could take a break and relax!”

The Overlord of Ice flushed and hid his face in his scarf.

“A-ah, the She-Cat misunderstood. We have not fully recovered from our respective explorations, and demons are less likely to want to visit!”

Liar. He had a tan, probably from some foreign holiday. Taka nodded and sat beside Hiro, watching ad he shuffled his deck. He couldn’t say he was happy at the lack of productivity but it was a unanimous vote to play around and he couldn’t do research on that.

“Alrighty then, it’s decided! Now, who’s first?” Hiro asked, looking around at the five of them. Kazuichi’s hand shot up.

“Romance in my future, right?” He said pointedly, looking at Sonia. She was more focused on prying Cham-P from her braid. He deflated.

Hiro did some impressive tricks-passing the cards from one sleeve to another and flipping them over-and passed them to Kazuichi facing down.

“As always take three. Good, good, now lay them out on the ground.”

They were Hiro’s own custom brand of cards-a small business he’d set up online-and were drawn by Yamada. As such they were very well made, but very unusual. Or maybe that was just Taka’s lack of knowledge about the occult.

Hiro stroked his chin, surprisingly shaved clean from his holiday. He was also tan, and had ribbons in his dreadlocks. Not for the first time Taka felt a sting on jealousy at his peers fortune.

“I see i see... ah yes! Yes this week your deck will be focused on romance!”

Kazuichi punched the air. The other three members gave Hiro a confused look.

Not once had Kazuichi ever had a telling about love. It was usually ‘bad luck with come your way next English class’ or ‘you’ll run out of hair dye and the shops will be closed’. 

“Really?” Souda’s eyes were sparkling underneath his contacts.

“Yes! R-really? Can you describe her too me?”

His manners to Sonia had certainly gotten better, but he was still clearly hinting for Hiro to say ‘blonde hair’ or ‘higher class’ or something. Taka couldn’t imagine being so obvious with his affections.

Hiro was stroking a finger across the three cards, more serious than Taka had ever seen him.

“Hmmmm... yep! It’s clear! You’ve been alone romantically your whole life! No one had ever liked you back!”

Well so much for tact. He was pointing at card with a drawing with a picture of a homeless man on it. Cruel.

“Alone and unwanted in the love department. Er, romantic love of course! No other kinds!”

Smooth. They all knew about Kazuichi’s parent troubles-Hiro once had take him aside to mention that no, his father ‘taking him down a peg’ was not normal and he would be telling the headmaster. He was a kind man in that way. But it was still considered impolite to talk about it.

“Alright i get it, im a loser, now move on.”

“Okay okay, calm down. Now you’re... torn. Like a paper ripping down the middle,”

Sure enough, thats what the next paper showed.

“You’re heart is in two places, your mind is in a million. BUT love can be the tape to bring it all together!”

Gundam had completely hidden his face behind his scarf, his eyes looking through a small gap like a hijab. Sonia was petting Cham-P more aggressively. Souda looked ill.

“Er... you sure? C-cause i can’t think of anyone who might-“

“Last card: the future.”

Hiro paused for affect. It worked. Everyone held their breath as he carefully picked up the card and examined it. 

“Hmm hmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-“

“OH FOR THE LOVE FOR THE LOVE OF SATAN GET ON WITH IT!!” Gundam cried, ripping off his scarf to reveal a very red face. Hiro just looked smug.

“Hmmmm... yes. Of course. I see. You are... going to find true love!” He declared, pointing a finger at the sky. Kazuichi let out a breath.

“Really?!”

“Yes! You think you are like dwarf hamsters, ready to kill if put in the same cage. But! Your love crosses the oceans, like a king and his consorts!”

Taka was sure there was supposed to be some sort of hidden meaning behind this speech. 

Without a word Sonia politely handed Cham-P back to Gundam and stood up. She placed a hand on Souda’s shoulder and then stalked out the room.

Gundam quickly put Cham-P in Souda’s lap and scurried after her. 

Souda just sat there, a hamster in his hand and a vacant expression on his face. He looked like how Taka felt when Mondo took his shirt off for gym: befuddled and in awe.

“So,” Hiro turned back to Taka, reshuffling the deck, “ready for your turn?”

Taka squirmed under his gaze. He was not one to turn down a classmates talent, but he also felt uncomfortable with Hiro’s fortune telling. It felt like he was being put under a microscope. 30% accuracy is still 30%.

“I, um, are you sure you read Kazuichi’s properly? Maybe you should go agai-“

“No, he was actually dead on the money.” Souda muttered, wavering out of his haze. He elbowed Taka in the ribs, grinning, “Go on, i wanna see who lies in store for you! Not that it’s a question really.”

“What do you-“

“Alright!” Hiro crowed, holding out the pack for Taka. Sheepishly, he picked three which were quickly snatched away.

“Aha!”

“What? What is it?” Kiyotaka shifted where he knelt. It felt like he was in a fishbowl. Souda was smiling his sharp smile, which wasn’t making him feel any better.

“Err, i don’t-“

“Romance! Tons of romance in store for you Taka!! You’ll be married by next week!”

“W-what?!”

“Kidding, thought l’d add a bit of flair.”

Hiro showed Taka the first card.

“The past. You’ve been in love for a while now, haven’t you? Someone special catch your eye?”

Taka was being looked at in the same way his mother looked at him when he asked why she had so many injuries coming home from work: like everyone else knew something he didn’t.

He wasn’t in love. Really he wasn’t. Sure he found Mondo attractive, and kind, and sure whenever Taka pictured his dream future Mondo was easily slotted at his side. And just thinking about him caused a flurry of worms to crawl in his stomach and his lungs felt like concrete. But that didn’t mean he was in love.

Right?

The second card was shown.

“The countdown’s ticking. A confession is coming your way, like a train driving into a station. It’s your decision to make.”

A confession? Was it Mondo’s? Hiro never said it was, maybe he was just bluffing. Maybe it was someone else entirely. Then Taka would have to let them down gently. 

The final card.

“A happy ending is in your hands. You just have to wait.”

Oh hell. Was he supposed to accept the confession or not? What was the right answer? Taka could feel sweat building up on his forehead and the back of his neck become hot.

“Well what do i say?” He asked, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve, “do i go out with Mondo? Is it the wrong time? Is he right for me? Does he even like me the same way i like him? Oh god, Hiro you don’t have a card for that do you?”

Hiro put the cards back in their box with a smile. Kazuichi just looked confused.

“Um, no one mentioned Mond-“

“Dont even worry about it little buddy!” Hiro yelled over Souda with a flair of his hands.

“He likes you more than you could ever imagine! Soul brothers to soul mates!! Chase your heart!”

Taka was sure he read that on the back of a beer mat. But he wasn’t even listening anymore.

Why did he think of Mondo when love was brought up? Was he... really in love with him? He was pretty sure, gorgeous in fact... with full smooth lips and pastel eyes and perfect nose and oh god oh hell oh no...

“I have to go,” Taka stumbled to his feet on weak knees and ran out the door, Kazuichi and Hiro calling out behind him. He needed to get back to his dorm before he humiliated himself.

Souda quirked an eyebrow at the slammed shut door.

“What the hell was that all about?”

“Haven’t a clue,” Hiro lied, pulling close his crystal ball, “now do you want to know how Gundam and Sonia feel about you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch me throwing my ot3 in your face without warning  
> Also Hiro didn’t read dick on those cards he just likes to meddle.


	13. MAST!UR!BATION!!MAST!UR!BATION!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is as close to smut as we’re gonna get for now so enjoy it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might try and rewrite some of this fic :) most of it was written on my phone without rereading it, and because if this virus i’m isolated, so now i can type it up properly on a laptop and not just write what falls out of my brain.  
> Which bits do you think i should rewrite?

Taka threw his dorm door behind him and collapsed into his desk chair. His body was so warm, sweat building on his lower back. There was a rushing in his ears and his stomach kept swooping.

He was aroused. There was a slight bulge in the front of his uniform pants and every shift just made his dick rub against briefs. Oh why did he have to wear such tight underwear?

Although Mondo did promise to take him shopping this weekend, maybe they could buy him some new ones...

Maybe Mondo could model for him. His cock straining against pastel panties, fit with ribbons and lace... Mondo would blush and complain that this was ‘unmanly’ but Taka would crawl up on that podium and shut him up with his mouth...

Argh! Why was this happening now?! Wet dreams Taka could handle, awkward boners he could handle, but fantasising ? Masturbation? It was too much for him.

In seventeen years, Taka had never... touched himself. Whenever he got a hard on he just waited it out, and distracted himself. 

But this was too much to handle. Images flitted through his head like a camera reel, and he didn’t particularly hate it. It was becoming more and more tempting to just lay back and let it happen... let the thought of Mondo Mondo Mondo overtake him.

Taka leaned back in his chair. He wasn’t going to get anything done in this state. Logically he knew the next step was a cold shower but, his legs just wouldn’t move. He didn’t want to.

Without thinking, drool swamping his mouth as he pictured Mondo between his legs, he unbuckled his belt. 

Taka sighed with relief as warm air hit his crotch and his dick jumped. He was half hard and he didn’t think he could stop here.

Closing his eyes, his hands hovered around his open zip, shaking as he... got closer to... holding his cock...

They touched fabric and immediately wrenched themselves away.

Taka opened his eyes.

He couldn’t do it. It was too scary.

The thought of-of being so overstimulated like that. Of so much pressure hitting him, of it taking him away from his mind?

What if he didn’t like it? He was stressed almost all the time what if that affected him in some way? He didn’t have any lube, what if it was too rough? What if it stopped feeling good halfway through and he edged himself? What if it felt too good and he dropped all of his studies to just masturbate all day long. What if this ruined his image of Mondo.

No. Breath. Stop. 

Taka slid his eyes shut and let his hands fall to his sides.

He could feel good without touching his penis. Thinking back to his old sex education class, Taka remembered the parts of the body his teacher had said were most sensitive. He could start there and work his way up.

Hands still shaking, Taka traced his fingers under his uniform shirt and over his collarbones.

That was... alright. Not bad. It was a little unsettling feeling how bony they were, maybe he should look into that, was he sick-

Dammit, his boner was going down. For once in your life concentrate!

He trailed his other hand down his thigh.

Ohh that wasn’t completely terrible. His dick twitched at the attention and he shuddered. It tickled more than anything, but it would do.

Think, think of Mondo.

Mmm Mondo in his Diamond jacket. Mondo underneath him, struggling as they fought. His beautiful tan face was flushed as blood trickled from his broken nose. In his fantasy Taka leaned down and licked it off. Mondo shuddered.

Real Taka bucked into his hand. He clutched his hand tighter, this still wasn’t enough!

The hand gliding over his collarbones and neck dropped to his chest, absently drawing patterns across them. He stroked his thigh with one hand, and the other gently nudged his nipple.

Taka paused.

The teacher did say... but wasn’t that just for girls?

He pinched his nipple.

Ooooohhhhh God.

Damn. Pulling both hands up to his chest Taka relaxed and fell into his fantasy.

Mondo placed a hand on Taka’s pec, and he flinched. 

“It’s okay baby, i’m not gonna hurt ya.” Mondo’s voice rumbled through the room, empty but only for the two of them. Were they sitting on the floor, Taka couldn’t tell.

Mondo’s hand gently rubbed patterns across Taka’s chest, a finger brushing over his nipple. Taka jolted. They both paused.

“Ohh.” Mondo whispered, leaning closer so his lips were against Taka’s ear. It was so so hot in here.

“Oh you like this?”

“I don’t-i-“

Mondo kissed the shell of his ear, and a full body shudder ran through him.

“The skin around here is broken. Almost as if someone,” another kiss, and now a lick, “has been pulling it.”

Rouch fingers delicately pinched Taka’s nipple, and he squealed.

That was... that was so good. Something new pulsed through his chest and he leaned into Mondo’s hand. It was-was good and new and good and-and

Another pinch, a tug, a pull. Taka’s eyes squeezed shut and he bit his lip. Another hand went to his other nipple, this time twisting and-ooohhh something was running through him. He was so hot. Sweat ran down his thighs-were they wearing clothes oh who cares-and he reached out his hand for support.

It found Mondo’s arm. A bicep bulged under Taka’s fingertips and he whined, a thousand sensations hitting him.

“Ohh oh Mondo yes i need-more-it’s it’s-“

Not enough. This was only the beginning, Taka could tell. Something clawed at him in his stomach and he knew there was supposed to be more. Waves rushed through his ears and god god more please,

A pair of lips-full, pink wet lips Mondo’s perfect lips enclosed around his nipple and licked. It was soothing against the pain, and offered a whole new wonderful sensation.

Taka’s hips bucked without him wanting to.

“I-i-“

More. What did be need more of? Every part of his was screaming for attention, what should he do? 

So warm so wet so good so hot ooohhh something ran through him, stopping at his groin and he whined in frustration.

“I’ve got you baby don’t worry.” Mondo purred around him-where was the voice coming from-and before Taka could ask for more, sharp teeth bit his nipple.

An explosion ran through Taka’s groin, sparks setting up in his stomach.

And his eyes snapped open.

To his dorm room.

His legs were numb.

His... thing was wet.

Secondary school sex ed lessons came back to him and realisation poured cold water over his hot ecstasy.

“Oh hell.”

<https://porcelain-dionysus.tumblr.com/post/613318536294793216/femishimondo-i-changed-mons-hair-cause-i>

fem!ishimondo art y’all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to myself, at fourteen, who thought it would be a good idea to write porn without any actual knowledge of the stuff aside from amateur writing.  
> It... did not go well.  
> This is the only smut i’ve written in three years since then so please be honest.


	14. Where this fic is going

Dont despair!! This fic will be back!

because of the quarantine my mother has to work from home and uses my laptop. So i dont have the opportunity to keep writing chapters.

BUT!! I have been writing a plan for this fic! It has a beginning, middle and end!!   
  
I will be moving chapters to their new spots and adding chapters inbetween. It may look jumbled but i promise i’m organising it, instead of banging out whatever story comes to mind.

(and i’m definitely rewriting that smut chapter because that was... upsetting)

I also have bonus fics in mind from how Kioto and Takaaki met, to Taka meeting the Crazy Diamonds!

So have hope because I’m not done yet! I just need a little time :)


	15. i haven't said it here but kyoko has ocd. also shopping date!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IM FINALLY USING MY LAPTOP AND THE CAPITAL LETTER BUTTON IS ON THE FRITZ. FORGIVE ME AND MY HAYWIRE KEYBOARD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a list of bonus fics after this one about taka and mondo: i’ll happily take suggestions :D

Kyoko kirigiri was not oblivious to social cues. She knew exactly what everyone else was thinking, and what they expected her to respond. So she didn’t understand why she was in this stupid group therapy club.

“It’s for students who… maybe don’t quite fit in with their peers,” miss gekkohara told her as she signed her name in. well, the pink and white rabbit icon on her phone told her. Kyoko glared at it and it made a sad wobbly face. 

“But i don’t need to fit in!” kyoko argued, slumping down in her seat. A random classroom had been emptied and chairs were placed in a circle, so everyone could look at each other. It gave kyoko more people to stare down.

“We’ll see.” the rabbit said, and gekkohara sat in the seat next to kyoko. On her opposite side was pekoyama from the above class, who was smiling down at her phone with a sappy expression.

Kyoko peered over her shoulder and saw ‘master xxx’ above a text icon.

“You should stop calling him that. He finds it uncomfortable.” she said bluntly, and pekoyama flinched, quickly putting her phone away.

“Don’t read my text messages you creep!” she snapped, cheeks flushing pink.

“Oh please, it’s not exactly important information. I could care less what you and your boyfriend get up to.” kyoko stated, and stopped listening to pekoyama’s squawks of indignation.

Gekkohara sighed and reshuffled her papers.

“Our first topic today is other people’s privacy…”

.

“Well love,” her father put and arm round kyoko’s shoulder as they walked to the cafeteria together, “how was it?”

“Pointless. Also i have some ideas for your next assembly.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, with that stupid smug look kyoko refused to admit she had grown fond of. 

“Oh really?”

“Mm hm. You should start teaching students about lgbt culture and how to treat it.”

“And why is that? A certain someone catch your eye? Or are you still all about naegi?”

Kyoko’s face flushed.

“Hush. we never spoke about that. And no, ishimaru has taken a liking to owada. I think a confession’s on its way, and they’re known to be very public people. It would be awful for ishimaru to be bullied again just because of that.”

Her father squeezed her shoulder with a soft look and she gave him a secret smile.

“I had no idea you were so protective of your classmates. You think you can drop their last names any time soon?”

Her smile fell.

“Of course not. It’s just that if owada found out ishimaru was being harassed he may turn violent, and that would look bad for the school.”

Headmaster kirigiri sighed and patted her, before putting his hand in his pocket.

“Course love. Now how about macaroons in my office for teatime?”

Kyoko double checked the hallway to make sure no one was looking and linked her arm with his.

“Sounds lovely da- um, father.”

* * *

Mondo was nearly shaking with nerves as he and taka walked down the highstreet. Taka had adamantly refused to even consider buying anything from junko, claiming it was too expensive, and insisted they shop at a charity shop. Mondo was pretty put out he couldn’t shower his friend (friend? Beloved? Future boyfriend?) with the presents he deserved but he could make do. 

His phone vibrated in his coat pocket, and he excused himself from taka’s rambling speech about the constitution and healthcare to check it.

‘M0n. g0in 2 sh0p? Bi good cl0ths. He liks red and g0ld. nd h0t cl0ths 4 w1ntr. X0x0 mum’

It took mondo a good three minutes to decipher what the hell that all meant, before taka led him to a close shop. 

“This looks nice kyoudai, doesn’t it? Look, all of the money goes to feeding the homeless! It’s perfect!”

“Yeah do you see anything you want to buy?” mondo asked as he texted back a quick ‘dont worry, all good xxx’.

Taka ignored him and pushed the door open, immediately rushing to the cashier to spout about what a good cause this all was, and how proud he was of their community and blah blah blah. Mondo had to grab the back of his jacket and pull him away from the overwhelmed employee.

“Don’t worry about all that taka, just look around for some shirts or something, okay?” he asked, and taka nodded seriously. He took off to look at the rack of shirts and mondo sighed. This wasn’t going to turn into the romantic shopping date he had hoped for.

Taka was pushing aside every shirt he saw, looking more and more agitated as he quickly ran out of options. Mondo came up behind him and pulled out a random hanger.

“How about this one?”

“But-but it’s bright orange! Not a professional colour at all. And it’s got little, what are those, suns all over it? I can’t be seen in something as casual at that!”

Mondo didn’t put the shirt back, and simply slung it over his arm to put in his ‘maybe’ section.

“Well it’s your size innit?”

“It would hang right off of me! I’d look like some tourist at the beach!”

Given taka had never been to the beach mondo didn’t know how he knew that but he dismissed it.

“Well we haven’t got a lot of options for you taka. We could always go back to junko and ask-”

“Absolutely not! I am not going to have you waste hard earned money on me! We’ll just have to keep looking.”

Taka kept scralling through the shirts until he gave up and moved to the trousers section. While he was gone, mondo picked out three more; a pink button up with a huge pocket; perfect for keeping all of taka’s miscellaneous pens. A blue t-shirt with a cartoon kitten on the front saying ‘hang in there’. And a sweater vest that was a horrible ugly green colour but was the softest cotton mondo had ever felt. They all also went into the ‘maybe’ section.

“Mondo!” taka called out to him-making the cashier jump with his loud voice. Mondo sent them an apologetic look, and went to join his friend.

“They don’t have any dress pants! And nothing in white!” taka complained, pointing at the rack of jeans and sweatpants. The image of taka in tight, bleach washed jeans came to mind, and mondo immediately grabbed one.

“Everyone else in our class has jeans. You want to fit in, don’t you?” he asked. Taka squinted and huffily picked up a pair of black sweatpants as well.

“We did come here for a new uniform so i might as well get these too.” he muttered. He was about to head to the cash register when he paused, and stared at something in the corner of the shop.

“What is it?” mondo asked, looking over. Taka jumped and blushed, hurriedly marching towards the now rather frightened cashier.

“Nothing kyoudai, don’t worry about it.” he said too quickly, and dropped the sweatpants at the table. The cashier scurried to scan it.

“No no,” mondo frowned, and strode over to where taka had been staring, “what were you looking at?”

“It’s nothing kyoudai, don’t bothe-”

“Was it this?”

Hanging at the end on a rack, half hidden by a rather gaudy wedding dress, was a coat. It was red with gold accents and the word ‘miyaka’ written across the front in kanji like a letterman jacket. There was gold fake fur on the inside and a few chains hanging across the large pockets.

The cashier spoke up when he saw mondo looking at it.

“Oh yeah. That’s actually from a really famous shopping brand, ‘miyaka’. I guess whoever gave it away didn’t know that. But there’s a huge rip down the back; i tried to fix it up with a needle and thread but it’ll need a professional.”

Taka frowned at his friend, and crossed his arms.

“See kyoudai? It’s useless to buy it anyway. Besides it’s huge and tacky and clearly only bought by someone who wanted to show off. See all that gold? Anyway it’s far too hot outside to buy a winter co-”

“We’ll take it.” mondo grinned as he swept the coat off of the rack. He ignored taka’s spluttering.

“You deserve something nice taka, no matter how tacky. You think i style my hair like this and still care what people think about me? Besides that girl who swapped your name tags at the headmasters dinner-aiko-still owes you, huh?”

Taka didn’t say anything and just glared at the floor as mondo bought the variety of multicoloured clothes. But mondo saw him running a hand down the soft fur of the coat as they were put into bags and carried away.

well it's now or never

“Besides,” mondo tried, placing a sweaty hand on taka’s back as they walked away, “i’ve always thought you looked great in red.”

* * *

Mondo was dying. He was actually dying. That shopping dat-um, trip, had been a huge mistake. Because taka looked amazing.

He was in that baggy orange button up with the suns, and the bleached skinny jeans. If mondo thought his boots looked nice before, watching them huge white denim glued to thick thighs was actually heavenly. Taka couldn’t be legal. This had to be some trick god was playing on him.

Dammit, his boots. 

“Oh yeah, the whole reason we went to that shop was to get you some new trainers.” mondo pointed out, silently kicking himself. 

“Well we’ll have to go next week.”

Mondo could have clicked his heels in happiness.

chihiro whispered appreciatively as the two of them walked into the game room, still setting up karaoke machine.

“Taka you look amazing! Never thought i’d see you in something other than your uniform, what brought this on?”

The rest of the class turned to stare, and taka blushed at the sudden onslaught of praise.

“Wow, you look good in jeans kiyo!”

“Hm. a little less professional than usual, but i suppose it’ll do.”

“I don’t suppose i could take some photos for my next doujin, could i?”

“Disappointing. You don’t look like a vampire butler anymore. Oh well, i guess i’ll have to settle with gundam from the year above.”

Taka awkwardly shuffled down side to side before joining makoto, who was tangled up in a bunch of wires.

“Oh dear, do you need any help?”

“Ha ha, i think you’d be just as confused as me, taka! Don’t worry, we’re almost finished here, then you can play your first real video game with us!”

Taka frowned, obviously about to point out that minecraft was a ‘real game’ but didn’t say anything.

“Okay!” chihiro clapped their hands together and stood up, “chiaki has graciously given us her research room so there’s enough games for everyone. Who wants what?”

Everyone yelled in random, and taka backed away, clutching his chest. Mondo held his arm.

“Don’t worry bro,” he whispered into taka’s ear, “you don’t have to play anything too new. Look, there’s a snooker table over there. You know snooker don’t you?”

Mondo was almost worried he’d been condescending, but taka was looking a little dazed at all the options.

“Er, yes, i have seen snooker before. Are you sure you’d be okay with…”

“Course bro!” mondo would be happy with anything if it meant getting to see more of taka in that new outfit.

Down boy.

They made their way over, thankfully the table was away from the rest of their class, and mondo set it up and explained the rules.

“Get it bro?”

“Err… yes? I just… poke the white ball so the red balls go in the holes?”

“Basically, yeah.”

Mondo started. He missed his first yellow ball and swore under his breath. Taka slapped his arm playfully and lined up his shot.

Which meant he was leaning over the table, almost bent in half.

Jesus christ.

“Um, kyoudai, could you give me a hand?”

An image came to mind of mondo leaning over taka, his crotch pressed against his ass, as he placed his hands over taka’s; ala that scene from the movie ghost.

“E-er, nope! That’d be cheating! I-i’m gonna get us some drinks!” mondo spat in a panic and whirled around to run away. He heard taka huff in annoyance as he sprinted out into the hall to the nearest vending machine.

Oh my god. Oh hell. He was going to die. This was sending him to an early grave. 

Mondo slapped the side of his face and bit his tongue. No. taka came here to play games and have a nice evening with his classmates. Mondo wouldn’t spoil that with his stupid unfortunate erections. He glared down at his groin. Little bitch. 

Inserting some coins and getting a cola and a water (no matter how many new experiences taka was trying today he still refused to drink carbonated drinks), mondo headed back to the game room, mind whirling.

He had to woo taka. Not seduce him. Woo him. Romance him. Show him he wanted to be a good and proper boyfriend. 

So how the hell was he going to do that?

He was actually considering asking sayaka to write him a love song when he heard a yell from inside.

“What’s wrong? Is everyone okay?” he shouted as he pushed the door open with his foot.

Taka was standing at the karaoke mat, holding a microphone, screaming as loud as he could.

“Osaka strut just keep on!! Osaka strut!!

I have been to London one time

I have been to Hong Kong one time

Everywhere in the world is good

But Osaka is the best town

My favorite town!!”

Mondo just stared as the love of his life shrieked into the microphone, almost doubled over with passion and his eyes squeezed shut. He was sweating an awful amount for just one song.

The song ended just as mondo was about to ask what the hell was going on, and there was a confused smattering of applause. Taka immediately switched to a sunny grin, and hopped off of the mat.

“Ah, um, thank you very much! Whose turn is it now?” he asked, holding out the microphone. Toko nervously raised her hand.

“U-um… m-mine i thi-ink…” she stammered, taking the mic with shaking hands. Taka gave her a salute and marched off next to mondo.

“I’m sorry you missed my song kyoudai. I would have waited for you to get back, but there was an order and i didn’t want to mess it up. Did you like it?”

“Umm…” no matter how much his heart swelled for hsi boy, not even mondo could pretend taka was a good singer. He was bad. Really, really bad. It was kind of charming.

“What was that song, taka?” he quickly changed the subject. Taka took the water from him and took a deep glug. How out of breath was he?

“That was a song from my home, osaka. The tourism board wrote it to get more foreigners.”

Briefly mondo recognised osaka as a pretty rough city. And also as a sign he saw outside of ‘the magic carpet’. He blanched.

“U-um. cool. Never been. Is it nice?”

Taka made a face.

“Ah, guess not. Cause of all the bullying and everything. Well, it was a nice song.”

Taka stopped drinking and breathed heavily, face red.

“Um, yeah, weren’t it?”

They both paused. Taka stood up straight and waved his hands around in a panic.

“I-i mean wasn’t it? Wasn’t it a nice song? Hahahaha!!” 

Mondo just stared at his friend with wide eyes.

“Taka…”

“Shouldn’t we ask chihiro if that dancing game is ready?”

“Taka do you have an accent?”

He froze. The tips of his ears turned pink. Mondo wanted to bite them.

His voice was a little rougher than usual, lazier and more comfortable. He sounded like his mother.

“P-please don’t tell the others.”

“What?”

“I’ve worked really hard to be professional all the time. I mean you’ve seen how our upperclassmen treat hanamura?”

Actually mondo was pretty sure they treated him like that because hanamura was a total creep, but taka didn’t need another thing to worry about. He slung an arm around taka’s waist, who jumped.

“Sorry, i forgot about the ‘no touching’ thing,” he removed it, “but your secret’s safe with me!”

Taka grinned that chipped grin and mondo nearly melted.

“Now let’s go find dance dance revolution! I’m gonna whoop your ass!”  
“Language! And not if i ‘whoop’ yours first!”

* * *

Together mondo and taka played dance dance revolution (taka won), mario kart (mondo won) and wack-a-mole (they both broke the game). Taka hadn’t stopped smiling the entire evening and mondo felt dizzy with happiness. Eventually though it turned ten and mondo realised he was too tired to carry on.

“Sorry bro,” he sighed, as they both watched togami and hina compete in the most nerve wracking game of darts in hopes peak history.

“Not to worry kyoudai! I’m happy your improved sleep schedule has finally caught up with you!” taka beamed, all teeth and bright eyes.

Mondo didn’t need to ask why taka wasn’t tired; at one point he’d curiously had a sip of mondo’s cola and had been bouncing off the walls since. Probably why they broke the wack-a-mole, come to think of it.

Monod ran a hand through taka’s spiky hand, nearly melting at his content expression, and picked himself up to wander off to bed.

He could stop by the kitchen before he left though.

Taking a quick u-turn he rummaged through the cabinets for snacks. Noodles, tea bags, flour, what the…

At the very back of the cupboard, half hidden behind the baking supplies was a tall glass bottle. Mondo pulled it out.

Motherfucker… someone had been sneaking alcohol in here!

Mondo looked around quickly before hiding the bottle in his jacket. He didn’t recognise the name, but it was probably a mixer. He grabbed some orange juice to go with it from the fridge and headed off to his room.

Sure, taka would be pissed, but taka wouldn’t know. What he didn’t know wouldn’t kill him. 

Giggling to himself, mondo disappeared into his dorm and shut the door behind him. He emptied a water bottle into the sink and filled it up with half alcohol half juice, and took a sip. Mmm fruity.

He took another sip.

Three hours later he was half hanging off of the bed, wrapped up in his blankets, shirt off, almost crying with laughter at a maltese youtube video. Then he got a text message.

‘Dat ass (Y)

Thank you for a wonderful evening kyoudai! I’m not sure if you’re awake or not but if you are, have sweet dreams! I’m going to bed myself now xxx’

Mondo immediately fell off the bed.

After wrestling with the blankets for more time than necessary, he opened his phone and went to his messages.

Kiyotaka was so good to him, he thought to himself, smiling soppily. He was so kind and passionate and handsome…

Why didn’t mondo tell him? Right now in fact? What better time than when he knew taka was going to be on his own, with no one around to interfere. Mondo was a genius!

He immediately typed out a message.

‘heeY koodoy!!!1!

I reely lov u u no? Sooooo much :O! Yur hot and hasom and smart (butt not a genus!!)

speeking of butts i lov yors. Is so good. An yur boots. Step on me kudoy. I will do watevr u ask. I luv u kudoi. I want 2 b yurs. Fuk me coodoy!!

Cinsrly. M0ndo.

(pps. I luv u)’

With a satisfied smile, Mondo pressed send and fell asleep.


	16. hahahahaha eat it leon

Mondo woke up the next morning with a brain made of slush and a blaring light in his eyes. Unsticking his face from his pillow he turned around and saw his phone blinking incessantly. He picked it up.

4 text messages. 3 voicemails.

Groaning, he turned the brightness down and tried to remember what the hell he’d done last night. And who the hell was texting him?

Texting…

Oh my god…

Oh no.

Now wide awake, he opened his phone again and saw the last message sent to him.

‘Bro, seriosly, get dwn here. I thnk hina busted a gut frm laughing’

Mondo squinted at the screen. Well that definitely wasn’t taka; he’d never misspell that many words, even in a text. He went back to the text he sent to taka-

Wait. ‘kuwata’?

Mondo nearly passed out from the relief that spread through him. He hadn’t sent it to taka after all. He’d just confused kiyotaka with kuwata. Thank god.

But that still brought up another problem entirely. Mondo was about to reply and ask Leon to ignore his text when a shot of pain interrupted him.

Right. He’d still drank dangerous amounts of alcohol. He’d have to deal with that first, then check on Leon. Rolling out of bed, Mondo stumbled to the bathroom.

* * *

Mondo awkwardly shuffled into the cafeteria, eyes shielded from the overhead lights with some sunglasses he’d found in the back of his closet. Coffee in hand he spotted Leon and made his way over.

“Kuwata, about that text-”

“Dude!” Leon brightened when he saw Mondo, slinging an arm around him. Mondo grunted in pain but was ignored.

“I had no idea you felt that way about me. I mean who am I to pass up such an offer? But, as you know, i’ve got my eye on our own singing sensation, Sayaka, so i’ll have to decline.”

Mondo glared at his so-called ‘friend’ as the baseball star grinned like an idiot. The bastard was eating this all up like a cat that caught the canary. Mondo shifted his arm off of him and sat down at the nearest table.

“Shut the fuck up Kuwata. You know that message wasn’t for you, so just ignore it. Let’s pretend it never happened, okay?”

Leon made a hurt face and slunk down to the seat beside him. 

“Dude, bro, kemosabe, I could never leave a friend in such a state of distress, especially now I know about your hots for our hall monitor.”

Mondo made a face to himself and Leon laughed, too loud of Mondo’s sensitive ears. He was about to punt Leon across the table when the redhead noticed someone behind him and frantically waved her over.

“Oh my god-Hina! Hina get over here! Mondo finally emerged from his little hidey-hole of shame.”

There was a high pitched giggle and Hina took the seat on the other side of Mondo. He groaned. Leon just whistled.

“Well you look lovely today by the way, my little minnow. It’s a shame that text wasn’t for you, you’d be much more deserving of such poetry.”

Hina made a face and slammed her tray on the table. Mondo jumped at the loud noise.

“Bite me Kuwata. Now tell Mondo what you told me.”

Mondo gave Leon a death glare, only dampened by his sweaty and grey face. 

“You told her?!”

“Hey woah man, it wasn’t my fault! She just read it over my shoulder, i’m not that much of an asshole!”

Mondo and Hina exchanged a look. She sighed.

“I hate to admit it, but ginger pubes is right. It was an accident, i wouldn’t have read it if i knew what it was about. But trust us Mondo, you’re in safe hands.”

Mondo glared at her tray-the overwhelming smell of bacon butties and protein making his stomach twist-and made to stand up. She grabbed his sleeve.

“No, Mondo, please let us help! Trust us and you’ll be locking lips with Taka by the end of the evening!”

This all sounded deliberately scripted, but Mondo was too exhausted and humiliated to fight them. He sat down again.

“And what do you want out of it?” he asked. Hina gave him a sad look.

“We don’t want anything, Mondo. We just want to help, you’d have to be blind to miss the way you’ve been looking at him and i’m sure everyone would agree it’s time to end this.”

Leon nodded solemnly. 

“She’s right. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Plus i’d prefer it if you stared at Taka’s ass in your own time.”

Mondo made a disgusted noise, but inside he was burning. Embarrassment and shame washed over him and he just wanted to curl up in his dorm. If these two dipshits could figure it out, how long until Taka realised? Hell, maybe he already did and was just pitying his kyoudai. 

No, Taka was too kind and honest for that. Plus he couldn't read subtext if it hit him in the face. Mondo was safe. For now.

“So what’s your plan?” he asked. Leon and Hina both grinned simultaneously. 

“Trust us, the Super High School Level Matchmakers are here to help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We should have seven chapters left and fifteen bonus fics


	17. Shut the fuck up someone drew fanart

@shslflowerfucker drew fanart of Taka’s outfit and if i get permission im printing it out and framing it holy ahit its incredible mother fucker

<https://shslflowerfucker.tumblr.com/post/615554543328083968/currently-bored-out-of-my-mind-due-to-quarantine>


	18. Uh oh

Taka was sitting in his political history class, scribbling away, trying to ignore the looks Leon and Hina were giving him. Didn’t they have anything better to do than to laugh at him behind his back. He was on alert, half expecting a spit ball thrown at his head.

Of course it broke his heart to suspect his friends but you can’t undo seventeen years worth of bullying. 

Anyway.

“Miss Asahina what is so important that you need to share with the class?”

Hina froze and Taka glared her down, looking between her panicked face and the piece of paper she was holding out to Leon. She muttered something under her breath to him, but Taka was faster, storming over to the other end of the class and snatching the note from her.

“I’m sure whatever it is you wont mind the rest of us hearing?”

Hina and Leon both broke into a frenzy, shaking their heads and making throat cutting gestures, but Taka wouldn’t be so easily swayed.

Was it about him? Some cruel joke akin to his last high school? His stomach sank as he unfolded the note.

“Thank you Ishimaru for showing these newbs how it’s done.” His teacher said proudly from behind her desk. He didn’t know what a ‘newb’ was but he didn’t dare ask.

“‘Heard Mondo was asked out by that girl from the class above us’

‘Really, whats her name?’

‘Akane.’

‘Oh yeah she’s fit. Huge tits’

‘Gross. Guess T missed his chance.’”

Taka slid the note into his pocket and glared down the two offenders.

He ignored his wobbly knees.

“Putting aside your atrocious spelling, referring to a classmate, especially your superior, in such a vulgar manner will not be tolerated and you will both join me after school in detention.”

Leon and Hina both groaned, slumping forward on their desks. Taka whacked them both on the neck.

“And sit up straight!”

The rest of the class sarcastically applauded as he slid back into his seat, note burning a hole in his jacket.

Mondo was asked out? By Akane? How could he compete: Akane was physically more attractive to him, had more in common with Mondo and was more outgoing. Taka might as well give up now.

His chest burned as he blearily tried to pay attention to the teacher, who was going over recent political scandals. His stomach twisted and he held back a choke.

“Which brings us to a more recent figure: Toranosuke Ishimaru. He went to this school as the Ultimate Manager, and later became Prime Minister.”

Every eye in the room swivelled to stare at Taka. His throat closed in on itself.

“After a bribery with the yakuza was released to the media he plummeted in public opinion and lost millions. He died just a few years ago from heart failure. Now who can tell me-“

“Isnt that like Kiyotaka Ishimaru?” A voice asked. Taka nearly sobbed. He clutched his desk with shaking hands, face growing cold with sweat.

“Erm, it doesnt say. But i suppose i can google his relatives if you-“

“How much money did he lose Ishimaru?” Another voice called out.

Words came at Taka faster than he could hear them and without a word he sprung to his feet.

“May i-“ the words got stuck in his throat and he swayed. The teacher gave him a worried look.

“Asahina and Kuwata please take Ishimaru to the nurses office.”

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. Taka threw up in a bucket Mikan had given him and cried for an hour while his friends rubbed his back.

His secret was out. No one would be able to look at him the same way without seeing that genius traitor that was his grandfather. He might as well have paid his way into this school; he felt like he might faint.

“Woah, woah, easy Taka.” Leon whispered, gently stroking his hair. Under normal circumstances Taka hated being touched but he found himself leaning into it. It reminded him of his mother.

“Its okay Taka, we dont have to talk about it. We’ll just go back to the dorm rooms and watch a movie okay?”

Taka sniffled, spitting one last glob into the bucket, “Can we watch the real housewives?”

Hina giggled and linked their arms together and they made their way down the hall like the character from Wizard of Oz.


	19. The plan,,, is in place

By the time night fell the rest of the class had heard about what happened and Taka’s room was swarmed with classmates encouraging and praising him. Even Togami showed up at his door, handing him a box.

“Apparently this watch was worn by one of the cast members of that silly show you like. It only cost a few thousand yen, dont look too much into it.” And then he turned and left. Everyone was stunned.

Soon Taka was swaddled in blankets surrounded by his class, with his head placed in Mondo’s lap. His friend was gently stroking his hair while laughing at something Chihiro had said. Taka sniffled, overwhelmed by affection and three different hands reached out to give him a tissue. He nearly cried again.

“Okay s-sso Ishim-um, Kiyotaka’s feeling better, s-oo ss-should we play a game or s-something?” Toko asked, fiddling with her glasses. 

“Seven minutes in heaven!”

“Spin the bottle!”

“Slap or smooch!”

“Absolutely not!” Taka yelled, wiggling free of his blanket burrito. He fell back onto Mondo’s chest, who grabbed his waist, and his heart leapt into his throat.

Hifumi put down the cards he had been playing against Sayaka with, and shuffled closer into the circle they had all formed.

“What about truth or dare?” He asked. A round of cheers spread around the room. Taka sighed, too love drunk to think of a good argument. Mondo’s fingers tapped against his blazer and his face grew hot.

Makoto crossed his legs and rocked back and forth.

“I’ll go first. Mukuro, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“If you couldn’t be a soldier what would you be?”

“A... baker. Sakura?”

“Dare.”

“Hold Aoi on your shoulders for the rest of the game.”

“Boring!” Leon crowed, kicking Mukuro in the leg.

“Do something cooler like, run outside in her underwear or text her crush.”

“Public indecency will not be tolerated!” Taka squawked, half paying attention, half zeroing in on Mondo’s breath against his ear.

Leon rolled his eyes. Sakura leaned across the circle and punched his arm.

“Leon, truth or dare.”

“Dare me!”

“Run outside in your underwear.”

Everyone cheered, and Leon sighed and stood up. He went to unbuckle his trousers and Sayaka made a noise of disgust.

“Gross, not in front of us!”

Even Taka laughed a bit as Leon trudged into his bathroom, the sound of clothes hitting the tiled floor. He came out in just his boxers and awkwardly shuffled past the circle to the door. 

Everyone squawked as they stared out the window and saw him jogging past, holding his chest against the cold. When he came back in Taka offered him his blanket.

“That was ridiculous,” he huffed, nose red and dripping.

“Well it’s your go next.” Junko offered, not looking up from her phone. Leon snorted at her.

“Okay Hifumi, truth-“

“Ahem!” Hina coughed loudly, nudging Leon with her foot. He quickly backtracked.

“Oh, sorry. I mean, Taka! Truth or dare?”

Taka squinted at Aoi, and wondered if she was sick. Perhaps Leon had infected her with the cold he had definitely gotten from running outside.

“Erm… truth?” he asked, fidgeting in Mondo’s lap. Mondo’s breath hitched behind him and he tried not to look too much into it.

“How did you feel about that note from earlier?” Leon asked, leaning back on his arms. He was wearing a newly borrowed blanket like a cape around his neck and Taka tried not to stare too prominently at his black hair roots. It was probably impolite to break into a rant about professional hair styles in the middle of a game.

“Wait, what note?” Mondo asked and Taka shivered against the feeling of his voice on his neck. Even with his blazer done all the way up it still felt like a cool winter breeze.

“I caught Asahina and Kuwata swapping notes in class and apparently Akane is going to ask you out.” he admitted, trying not to grip his arms as a shield against the rest of the class. Everyone was looking at him, or Mondo, and he could feel his head going numb.

“Wait, really?” Mondo’s voice grew a few octaves higher and his grip on Taka’s hips tightened. Taka nearly shouted in surprise.

“Er, y-yes, from what I he-eard. Not that I would listen to g-gossip anyway.” He lied, pointedly avoiding eye contact with Hina.

“So, answer the question,” Toko interjected, her glasses flashing warningly, “what did you think?”

Not that he would ever, ever, admit it, but Taka found Toko beyond terrifying. Perhaps it was the fact that one misplaced pepper packet could bring a known serial killer into their midst, maybe it was because she was a cold reflection of his own status as a social pariah. He decided to choose the former. 

He gripped the fabric of his trousers with white knuckles and stared at the carpet.

“Um… well I suppose I feel happy for my bro?” his voice broke on the lie and he could feel a cold drop of sweat roll down his neck. God he hated lying.

“A-Akane is an upstanding young w-woman with a respectable talent and a commendable future ahead of her. An-nd they have a lot in common.”

Taka carefully side-stepped the prying question he could feel his classmates boring into him and leaned forward so he was less aware of the rise and fall of Mondo’s chest against his back. This might actually kill him, he considered.

“So, do you think I should say yes?”

“To what?”

“To Akane’s confession.”

Mondo’s moved so their position changed. Taka now with one leg over Mondo’s lap, half sitting on the carpeted floor. Their faces inches away from each other. Taka’s eyes roamed over his bros face.

His cut solid jaw line, his plump cupid bows mouth. Those soft eyes, hardened under perfectly placed makeup. Mondo was so much sweeter under his demeanor. At their bros nights he’d wash it all off before climbing into bed, and everytime Taka would be struck by how adult he looked; mature and emotional. 

Taka’s heart pounded under his uniform. 

“She’s,” Mondo licked his lips, and Taka followed his tongue with his eyes, “she’s not really my type.”

“What is your type?” Sakura piped up when it was clear Taka wasn’t going to say anything. Odd, he thought to himself, he didn’t take her for a meddler.

Mondo stayed silent for a while, just staring into his bros eyes. Taka could feel his friends staring at them, like an audience at a silent movie.

Mondo swallowed, Taka zeroing in on the movement in his throat, and moved his arm so they went from Taka’s waist to his shoulders.

A part of Taka-the part that stayed with him since he entered Hopes Peak-screamed about PDA, and how indecent it was that his classmates were watching, and Mondo was a gang leader. That part was washed away under the shores of affection and, embarrassingly, arousal.

“Black hair.” Mondo said suddenly, breaking everyone out of their quiet reverence. 

“B-black hair. Red eyes. Pale skin. Taller than average. Loud and bold and, um, in our class.”

A wave of sick fell over Taka and he nearly fell off of Mondo’s lap. His head was buzzing and his arms were numb. He suddenly couldn’t move.

“Well i’m flattered,” Celeste preened from the other side of the circle, “but i’m not interested.”

The room erupted into shouting. People from all sides turned to yell at her, and the abrupt change in volume left Taka reeling. He couldn’t even tell what they were all saying, but he was spinning and the room was spinning and he had never been in this situation before what did he do-

“Ishi?” A hand was on his hair-different from the ones that were sliding from his shoulders and Taka hated to admit it but he was glad they were gone. Everything was becoming too much and he couldn’t stand one more person touching him.

“Oh my God, ‘Maru are you okay?”

“Kiyotaka? Buddy? Can you hear me?”

Taka’s head lolled around on his neck, which felt like it could snap under his weight any second, and he grabbed at the carpet beneath him.

“Everyone get out, i’ll handle this. Actually Sakura, please get some tea and Yamada can I borrow a body pillow. I don’t care who’s on it, just one big enough for Taka to hold.”

Slowly Taka was aware of his friends marching out of the room, sending his sympathetic looks and messages of ‘i’m sorry Kiyo,’ and ‘come visit when you feel better, ‘kay?’

Eventually he was alone, with the one person who hadn’t taken their hand from his hair. He looked up with crusty eyes to see Hiro smiling down at him. 

“It’s okay, buddy, i’m here. Just try to talk for a bit, alright? About anything.” He ran a calloused hand down Taka’s hair.

Kiyo nearly melted as he shakingly held his cup of tea-when had that gotten there?-and held the giant pillow between his legs. It had a printed photo of an animated man with yellow hair in a grey suit and pink tie. His shirt was open in an uncomfortably provocative pose. Taka hugged it harder.

“Of c-course Mondo li-ikes Celeste,” the words bubbled out of him, even though he didn’t really believe them. He wasn’t sure what he was saying, only that he felt better saying something. 

Hiro sighed beside him; the sigh teachers give when he asks if there’s a word limit in essays, and rubbed Taka’s hair a little harder.

“Okay you just had a panic attack so i’m not gonna yell at you. But you really aren’t a genius Taka. You really, really aren’t.”

Taka sniffled into the pillow and made a note to apologise to Hifumi later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha suck it newbs, we've got a way to go until our confession.  
> People Mondo's description could have referenced; Taka, Celeste, Genocide Jack, Monokuma, Maki, Izumi and Tsumugi's depiction of Atua.  
> (Also I now know Korekiyo would have obviously fit in with the Séance Club but let's say Hiro had a 'No Ghost Fucking' rule)


	20. I made an instagram

I started an instagram specially for fanart i drew of this fic because im proud of myself and modesty is for cowards. It’s called @staringandstaringandstaring and please tell me if you have an ishimondo/dangan based account because i’d love to follow you :)


	21. Piece Of Paper i don't know i cant think of a good title right now shut up

Hiro distracted Taka for half an hour with cool card tricks before Taka calmed down enough. The hall monitor was tired, sweaty and emotionally drained so his plan for the rest of the night he thought, as he waved goodbye to Hiro from his dorm door, was to snuggle up in bed and immediately pass out. 

But as he peeled his sticky uniform off until he was just in his underwear and made his way towards his bed, he noticed his Maths folder staring at him from his desk, and he deflated. Damn, he still hadn’t finished going over his homework from last week. He’d finished it the day it was assigned, but he’d been too scared to actually check if he’d got it right. Maths was his worst subject after all, and knowing he could actually fail at something he tried hard on hit him like a punch to the throat.

Sighing, he pulled himself over and sat at his desk, opening it at random. 

A piece of paper fell out onto the floor. Taka’s nose wrinkled and he pressed his palms against his eyes, trying to push back the tears of frustration. He was so exhausted and didn’t have time for life's bullshit right now.

Bending down to pick it up, Taka noticed some scribbled paper on the other side, peering at him through the light of his lamp. Too messy and scrawled to be his writing anyway.

Taka turned it around to see Mondo’s familiar chicken scratch rushed onto the paper, in two lists. At the top of each list were the words ‘pros’ and ‘cons’. Taka preened with pride; he’d taught Mondo the importance of writing out your ideas before implementing them if you were unsure, and he was proud to see his bro listen to him.

‘Pros of running away:

No more feelings

Dont have to do so much homework’

Taka frowned to himself. Was his bro struggling with something? Was he planning on going somewhere anytime soon? Taka’s stomach clenched. He skipped further down the page.

‘Cons of confessing:

Taka is secretly homophobic’.

He wasn’t homophobic. He had a special chapter of his ‘When I’m Prime Minister’ notepad dedicated to the injustice and discrimination of the lgbt community he’d seen growing up. 

Plus he was pretty sure he was gay.

Only a little bit though.

Taka’s heart stilled as he thought of his bro hunched over his desk, desperately writing down this list, hand almost breaking the pen as he struggled to come to terms with himself. Sweat beading at his brow, slinking down his perfect long face before landing on his pillowy chest.

Okay, maybe he was more than sure.

Jesus christ he sounded like Toko.

Wait, he skimmed the list again, heart picking up its pace, was Mondo… interested in him? And that’s why he wrote this list?

Was he worried Taka would turn him down? Push him aside? Oh, poor Mondo. How could he have neglected his bros feelings like that. Taka was sure he’d been grossly obvious with his feelings. Staring a little too long, talking a little too fast; plus there’d been that ridiculous offer at the snooker table. Taka’s felt a flush run through him. Honestly, what had he been thinking?

But-but-but this could be it. The confession he’d been waiting for! Had Mondo left this note here for him to find? He had put it in his folder after all. 

Taka’s head was spinning and he placed the piece of paper against his heart.

Ugh, he was too tired for all this.

Ignoring his homework-but making a mental note to double, triple and quadruple check it in the morning-Taka slunk back into his bed, duvet weighing him down and note tucked against his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! One chapter to go!  
> Ive got a bunch of bonus fics planned (feel free to recommend some ideas you’d like to see) and we’re so close to the end of this!  
> But i’ve also started a fic about Mike Teavee from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Musical so if you’re interested, check that out :)  
> It’s been great writing for you all and I appreciate each and every one of you


	22. Is THIS what you heathens want from me?!!

A day after the Celeste Debacle, Leon had tried to calm everyone down by throwing a party. A Taka-free party. Because no matter how much they all loved the neurotic hall monitor it was impossible to drunk kronk with him hanging around.

Mondo sighed and checked his phone again, idly keeping one eye on Chihiro to make sure they weren’t trying to do body shots again. 

‘Sry M0n. Gess T just isnt as in2 u as i tht. Tri havn a drnk 4 me 2 4get abot it k? <3\. Mum’.

Mondo sighed and threw back a small glass of paint-peeling vodka. He shuddered as it slid down his throat; like swallowing a slug. 

‘M sure T likes me. I think. He just freaked out cause of how many people were in his room @ once. Ill keep you updated. X’

“Hey man!” Aoi appeared beside him, slinging an arm around his waist (the tallest place she could reach), “Don’t be down about Taka. Me and Leon have a plan to talk to him after class tomorrow ‘kay? We were thinking of locking you both in a closet and then-”   
“Hina! The plan doesn’t work if you tell him about it!” Leon yelled, storming over to her from the other side of the room. Mondo just shrugged her off.

“Nah, I think the plan’s over guys. Taka just isn’t interested.”

“Of course he is!” Hina looked scandalised, “Celeste just ruined the confession yesterday, but we’ll make sure you don’t run into anyone next time.”

“‘Next time’? So yesterday was planned?”

“We didn’t mean for him to have an anxiety attack!” Leon quickly backtracked.

“We just thought with the class all in one place it’d be the perfect time for Plan E; Truth or Dare.”

“We had to skip over Plan’s B through D.” Aoi added. Mondo squinted at them both.

“What happened to those?”

“Things that could have gotten us all expelled if you got caught doing them on school grounds.” Leon nodded solemnly. Mondo smirked to himself as he pictured Taka tripping over a perfectly placed bag, straight into Mondo’s arms. He would land straddling Mondo’s thighs and gasp as he accidentally pushed their crotches together-

“Oh my god please don’t do that in front of me!” Aoi squealed, pointedly looking away from him. Mondo broke out of his fantasy and realised he’d been clutching his glass a little tighter. 

Jesus Christ he was starting to sound like Toko. 

Shaking his head to push away the thoughts, he turned back to his friends.

“But… how do you know if he likes me or not?”

They both gave him flat looks.

“He stares at you, like, every gym class.”

“He stays behind in class to help you with your homework. Even when you don’t need it.”

“He reroutes his whole path monitoring the school just so he can say hi to you in shop class.”

“We’re just very good friends!” Mondo shot back, feeling his face grow warm. Yes, Taka did all of those things. But he was a very passionate friend! 

Aoi made a face and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“I didn’t want to have to bring this up but… there’s this trick to keeping the dorm doors open, okay? You put a rubber between the door and the frame so it looks shut but isn’t. It’s so if you accidently left your keys or something you can get in easy.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Mondo asked, refilling his glass.

“Well… one day I was walking by his room to get to Sakura’s and I heard him, um, saying your name.”   
“So? We were probably just talking on the phone or something.”

Aoi’s face scrunched up so hard she looked like a pug.

“And does he usually say, ugh, ‘please, please, I want it Mondo,” as you’re talking?”

Mondo choked on the sip he had been taking.

“Jesus Christ Hina!”

Aoi shuddered to herself as Leon shrieked laughing.

“O-oh my god, Hina! Warn me b-before you d-do that!” he shuddered out, clutching his stomach. She squirmed where she stood.

“I hope I never have to do it again.”

Mondo didn’t say anything, too lost in thought. Leon punched him in the arm, and he jumped.

“Seriously man, save that for your room. But listen, Plan F will-”

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Instantly the music went down and everyone went quiet.

“Leon? I got a noise complaint from Sonia downstairs, could you please turn down your music?”

Leon blanched, and made hurried hand gestures at Sayaka across the room. She shrugged back.

“Er, y-yeah i’ll be right there man!” he called to the door and started shoving Mondo towards it.

“Hey, what are you d-”   
“Taka’ll listen to you, man! Just go out there and give him a reason to leave. Please. He’ll listen to you.”

Mondo squinted at his ‘friend’ before putting his glass down and stumbling to the door.

Taka waited patiently at Leon’s dorm, trying to ignore the smell of alcohol wafting through it. He didn’t care if they were all of age, The Baseball star was going to get a detention so bad he’d have to hold his wedding after hours.

The door opened and Taka prepared himself to launch into his usual speech, when he paused. Leon didn’t have golden hair cascading over perfect pecs. Taka looked up.

“Hey bro,” Mondo muttered, looking somewhere behind his friends shoulder. Taka blanched.

“K-kyoudai? Why were you in Leon’s room? After curfew?”

Don’t freak out, don’t panic, they were probably just studying or something. Calm down.

Mondo shifted, wringing his hands together.

“We were just discussing… stuff. Personal stuff, y’know? Just for us.”

Okay so maybe not studying.

Mondo started rambling about what a waste of time it was for Taka to be bothering Leon and how he didn’t want him to mess up his sleep schedule, but Taka wasn’t listening. Were Leon and Mondo… dating? Without Taka knowing? No, that’s ridiculous, Mondo told Taka everything.

But he did say it was personal.

Was this it? The moment were Mondo decided Taka was too much? Too loud too bossy too annoying? Was he going to leave him for Leon? Athletic, cool, sociable Leon. Leon never got anxiety attacks over cameras, he knew how to talk to people his own age and he had a bright career waiting for him without a drop of effort. How could an Ishimaru ever compete?

Mondo was blushing now, eyes flittering around the floor, looking anywhere but Taka. Whose palms were growing sweaty, eyes brimming with tears.

How could he even think that? How could he pretend that he was any less than Leon just because of his name?

Mondo chose him as a kyoudai, nobody else. And Taka wasn’t going to lose him.

He’d waited long enough. Until now he’d held back, pushing his emotions aside, ignoring every heavy beat of his heart.

And now he’d finally seen the consequences to his actions.

Taka stared at his friend. Mondo stared back, still gibbering; red faced.

“U-um Taka-“

“Please don’t leave me!” Taka screamed. Well, not exactly what he’d wanted to say but it would do.

“What-“ was all Mondo could get out before the collar of his coat was grabbed and bitten, slick lips were pressed against his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey on my insta @staringandstaringandstaring ive done art of Kioto


	23. *the to the tune of the final countdown* its the final chapter *kuzoo noises*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *holding an award called ‘finally finished a fanfic‘* I’d like to thank everyone who left a comment and kudos, and everyone who actually got this far.
> 
> I’ve got a bunch of bonus fics planned out from Kioto’s story, to Taka meeting to gang to a bunch of aus. So if you have any ideas please tell me :D

Mondo blinked, mind slipping blank. Taka was… kissing him. Taka was kissing him.

Kiyotaka began to pull back when Mondo’s brain kicked back into gear and put a hand behind his head, pulling him back in. Their mouths slot obediently together, kissing and kissing and kissing for what felt like forever. Taka sighed against Mondo’s mouth, arms sliding around the others neck, pressing their bodies as close as possible. Mondo nipped his bottom lip and he shivered. A strange mix of fireworks and fog settled through Mondo, and he moved his other arm to Taka’s waist. He was both buzzing with excitement and cloudy with happiness. Taka kissed him first. Taka liked him back. Taka felt the same way about him as he felt about Taka, and although he couldn’t feel any, um, excitement between his legs, from the way Taka was stroking a hand over Mondo’s bicep was probably a good indicator he felt exactly the same as Mondo.

Mondo pushed further, sliding his tongue against Taka’s lip, and the other pulled away. He was flushed, hair gently mussed with pink, kissable lips. Mondo nearly felt lightheaded, god he loved him so much.

“Ah,” Taka wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “sorry that’s a bit… too far.”

Mondo held his hands up in a show of surrender, “No tongue, got it.”

He could do that. He would never breathe again if Taka asked him too. His heart was swelling and he moved in for another kiss, Taka’s eyes closing.

When the door opened.

“Hey man you done distracting Taka, you’ve been out here for a while-“

Leon stared at his friends, and their compromising position. One of Taka’s arms around Mondo’s neck, the other on his chest. Mondo holding both Taka’s neck and waist. Their faces moments apart as they stared back.

“Um… dude? Is the plan off?” Leon managed to get out. Taka pulled out of Mondo’s hold, and stood in his usual upright position.

“What plan?” His eyes found the bottle clasped between Leon’s hand, “is that alcohol?!”

He swivelled glare at both Mondo and Leon, eyes narrowing.

“Was that the ‘plan’?! To distract me so Leon could throw his psrty?”

“N-no bro that wasn’t-“

Mondo reached out to hold Taka’s arm but was slapped away. One of Taka’s hands gripped his uniform jacket, and Mondo could see the beginning of an anxiety attack when he saw one.

“B-bro listen, me and Leon we were-“

“I don’t want to hear about you and Leon!” Tears were already pooling in Taka’s eyes, breathing coming out heavy and raspy. Mondo’s hand twitched to touch him but held back. 

Taka gave them both one last sneer before turning on his heel and stalking down the hallway.

Leon gave Mondo a horrified look.

“What are you doing?! Go after him!”

Mondo just stared sadly after his friend.

“I can’t. I can’t, he’s having an attack. The kind me or Hiro can’t fix. He just needs to be alone for a few hours, or i’ll make it worse. We’ll talk to him in the morning.”

Leon spluttered out in confusion, gesturing wildly.

“But-but you just-and him-“

“Get Hina and come to my dorm. We got one shot at this or Taka’ll never speak to me again.”

Leon paused, then gave him a solemn nod. He disappeared back into his room.

“Okay everyone parties over, you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here!”

A collective groan followed Mondo as he headed back to his room.

The next day Taka was sitting patiently in his maths class, eyes boring into his textbook. Normally he’d be all over it, forcing his struggling brain to put together the ridiculous sequences. But he just couldn’t concentrate.

Why had Mondo kissed back? And so passionately? Was it just a way to distract Taka from the party, or did he really feel the same? Surely his bro wasn’t as underhanded as that. Taka’s mind swirled and spun and he pressed his palms against his eyes. He needed some fresh air, only half an hour until class was over.

“Mr Owada what are you doing?”

Taka’s head popped up. The teacher was crowding Mondo, who was leaning across his desk, note in hand. It looked like he was going to give it to… Taka.

Mondo’s face went pale.

“Er… nothing.” He lied, leaning back. He went to put the note in his jacket when the teacher snatched it from him.

“If it’s important enough for Ishimaru to hear, it’s important enough for all of us to hear, hm?”

At the other end of the class Hina was making neck-cutting gestures while Leon tried to climb out the window. Taka opened his mouth to stop them but was interrupted.

“‘Dear Kyoudai,

I’m so sorry about last night. I never meant to push you too far and I understand if you were uncomfortable. But I also want you to know none of it was a ploy. I’ve been waiting to kiss you like that for months, and yes I was sent out to distract you from the party, the kiss had nothing to do with it.

I’m in love with you Taka. I’ve loved you since… I don’t even know. You make me want to be a better person, make me feel good about my place in the world, but it’s more than that.

I want to help you reach your goals. I want to see you happy and healthy everyday. I want to be your rock, your stepping stone, and I want you to be mime. I can’t picture the rest of the year, the rest of school, the rest of my life without you beside me.

This must be a lot to take in. Maybe you don’t feel as passionately about me the way I feel about you. If you want to go back to how we were, or if you never want to see me again, I understand. All I want is for you to be happy and I can’t stand the idea of me being why you’re not.

I love you to the moon and back,

Your Kyoudai’”

A wave of silence fell over the room. Every pair of eyes seemed torn between staring at Mondo or staring at Taka. Finally Chihiro spoke up.

“Why didn’t you stop reading after the first line?” They asked the teacher, who flushed.

“I just sort of… got caught up in it.” She blushed, sliding the note back to Mondo.

“Um… the two of you are excused from the rest of the lesson, if you want.” She awkwardly mumbled, slinking back to her desk.

Mondo stood up and almost sprinted out of the classroom, leaving the door slamming in his wake.

Taka stood up after him. On shaking legs he wandered through the silent room, ignoring everyone’s expressions and followed.

Mondo was leaning against a wall outside when Taka found him. They stood together in silence.

“... did you really mean what you wrote?” Taka finally asked. Mondo didn’t look him in the eye, face red.

“Yeah. I didn’t mean for it to become public like that i’m so sorry.”

Taka just shuffled his feet. His heart felt warm. Like everytime he was with Mondo it felt like he didn’t have to script out everything he wanted to say for fear of humiliation. He could just be himself.

“It’s alright, I kind of liked it,” he let the words spill from him, “like a romantic gesture you see in movies. Or I assume you see them, i’ve heard about it.”

Mondo finally looked at him, expression unreadable. He chewed his lip and Taka couldn’t take his eyes off of it, stepping closer.

“Since i’ve met you i’ve become more… trusting. I trust my classmates to do their work on time, I trust that their jokes I don’t get aren’t hurtful…” he gently wrapped his hand around Mondo’s, tugging him closer. They were nearly chest to chest, and stared into each others eyes. 

“... trusting that you won’t lie to me.”

Taka moved his other arm around Mondo’s waist, Mondo hugging him by the neck. A reverse of their positions last night.

“So… do you feel the same way I do. ‘Cause the note was… intense. But honest.”

Taka’s eyes flickered down to Mondo’s wet, bitten lip. His licked his own and Mondo’s face grew closer. They both closed their eyes.

“Everything I feel is intense, kyoudai.”

Taka barely felt the brush of Mondo’s lips against his when he heard a ‘whoop!’ And pulled back.

Leon was hanging out of a window a few feet above them. The rest of the class pressing their faces against the glass.

“Leon!” Mondo yelled, arms pulling off of Taka’s neck to curl into fists. Taka didn’t move from his position.

“I told you the note would work!” Leon called back.

“Hi Taka!” Hina waved politely. Taka let go of Mondo’s hand to wave back before holding it again.

“Well could you all get lost we don’t need an audience!”

“Please, your little ‘will they wont they’ has been a great show for the last, what, six months?” Celete preened down at them. 

“Kyoudai, this is the football field, isn’t it?” Taka noticed. Mondo grunted afformation in response, and went back to yelling. The field was connected to the science and maths building.

“Which is owned by the local park, right?”

“Uh huh. LEON-“

“So it isn’t technically school propety?”

“-KICK YOUR ASS! Yeah, why do you ask?”

Mondo barely had time to throw his friends one last glare before yanked forward and kissed until he couldn’t breath.

Cheers and laughter surrounded them as their class looked on but neither cared. They were too wrapped up in each other-literally-getting to know the others lips. 

“This may take a while so why don’t we settle the rounds of the bet?” Celeste piped up again. Everyone else shrugged and moved away from the window.

Mondo sighed dreamily, and pressed kisses and against his-boyfriend? Boyfriend!-‘s face. Taka squirmed happily.

“Your mom was right, you do deserve the best.”

“My mom was what now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might go back and try to rewrite some stuff, fix loose ends etc. I swear i had a storyline for Kioto but i just kind of forgot about her. Thanks again for getting this far, if you can recommend any ideas for fics please let me know.  
> Again my insta is @staringandstaringandstaring  
> And thanks for reading :D


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